Telecoms giant BT and Global, the Media & Entertainment Group, have announced a transformative 10-year partnership aimed at revitalizing the UK’s payphones and expanding digital hubs across more than 200 towns and cities. This strategic collaboration seeks to enhance connectivity and introduce hyper-local advertising, leveraging both companies’ strengths to benefit local communities and advertisers alike.
Upgrading the Nation’s Street Furniture
The initiative focuses on updating the UK’s “street furniture,” encompassing payphones, ATMs, and Street Hubs. Street Hubs are digital units that offer public Wi-Fi, live local communications, and in some instances, enhance EE’s mobile network with 4G and 5G connectivity. Under this new agreement, Global will transform up to 2,000 traditional BT payphones into modern Street Hubs by 2025, alongside managing advertising on BT’s 959 existing Street Hubs.
Enhanced Connectivity and Advertising Opportunities
Street Hub 2 units will provide secure connectivity with speeds up to 1Gbps within a 150-meter radius. Features include a dedicated 999 emergency call button, USB charging ports, and touch-screen tablets displaying local council information. Moreover, these hubs will offer digital advertising screens, providing businesses with a novel avenue for hyper-local advertising.
BT’s Street Hubs form a significant part of Global’s digital roadside advertising estate, offering extensive reach for outdoor advertising campaigns. The collaboration enables advertisers to purchase space programmatically via DAX, Global’s leading digital advertising exchange, which includes advanced targeting and measurement capabilities.
Commitment to Future-Proofing Local Communities
Stephen Miron, Global’s Group CEO, highlighted the partnership’s potential to expand the Street Hub network and introduce innovative advertising solutions, emphasizing the mutual benefits of this long-term collaboration. Bas Burger, CEO – Business at BT, reflected on the evolution of BT’s payphones and the move towards a more digitally connected future for the UK, underlining the synergy between BT’s robust connectivity and Global’s advertising expertise.
This partnership represents a significant step forward in enhancing digital infrastructure and advertising opportunities in the UK. By modernizing street furniture and deploying advanced digital hubs, BT and Global aim to support local communities with better connectivity and provide businesses with effective advertising platforms. As the project progresses, it promises to set new benchmarks for integrating technology and advertising in urban environments, fostering a more connected and digitally accessible future for the UK.
Reference: https://global.com/
