Free Wi-Fi In Newark; City 1st In NJ To Use High-Tech Kiosks

NEWARK, NJ — If all goes according to plan, residents and visitors to Newark will soon be able to make phone calls, download movies or music and charge their mobile devices... for free.

As part of a partnership announced Wednesday, tech company Intersection will team up with several Newark stakeholders to install 45 high-tech “sidewalk kiosks” in each of the city’s five wards. In addition to providing a free wi-fi network that will grant public access to anyone within range, the kiosks will also have ports for people to charge their mobile devices.

The program – dubbed “LinkNWK” – is a collaboration between Intersection, the City of Newark, the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

According to a joint statement from the groups, Newark will join select company once LinkNWK rolls out; only New York, London and Philadelphia are currently using the technology.

The program will run on Newark Fiber, the city’s public-private gigabit data network. It will be supported through advertising revenue, some of which will help fund other “smart infrastructure programs” in Newark.

Kiosks will be located throughout Newark, including areas around Newark Penn Station, the Prudential Center, Broad Street, Market Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Irvine Turner Boulevard. Kiosks will also be installed on neighborhood corridors such as Clinton Avenue, Ferry Street, South Orange Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue.

There will be no cost to taxpayers or users, city officials stated.

Intersection has been deployed in New York City through the CityBridge joint venture with Qualcomm and Comark and in London with partners Primesight and BT. Intersection provides the software, content and advertising, and oversees deployment, maintenance, and overall program management. Kiosks are manufactured by Civiq Smartscapes.

“LinkNWK is only possible in Newark because of our incredible dark fiber and technology assets,” Mayor Ras Baraka said. “What you’re seeing is another example of how residents benefit from the city’s tech infrastructure and accelerating growth as a technology hub.”

• See related article: Newark A Finalist For Amazon HQ2, Company Announces
• See related article: Don't Believe The Cynicism, Newark Is On The Rise, Mayor Says

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