NYC Waste Company To Turn Trash Bins Into WiFi Hotspots

Depending on where you live, Wi-Fi hotspots are either very fast, impossibly slow, or non-existent. The first has been true for those living in certain parts of New York City, and if one waste management company's plan comes to fruition, many more fast WiFi hotspots will be going live soon. Previously the waste management company Bigbelly fitted a pair of its smart garbage bins with high-speed WiFi in Manhattan, and now it wants to expand that to include more WiFi-equipped bins throughout New York City.

These are so-called smart garbage bins because they are equipped with sensors and solar power, and in the case of the aforementioned two, WiFI with speeds up to 75mbps. The company is looking to install more WiFi hotspots in underserved areas of the city, and has applied for grants to do so.

The hotspots are free to use, and are funded through the use of advertisements. Bigbelly has future ambitions that includes upcoming pilot tests, as well as deploying units later on this fall. That latter activity, however, will require board approval from the city.

This is in addition to some other WiFi hotspots initiatives in the city. We've previously detailed the WiFi charging stations coming to New York City, replacing its now obsolete payphones. Current plans peg the payphone replacement numbers at 10,000 throughout the city in due time, of which thousands will be offering a WiFi signal to anyone with a device.

SOURCE: Popular Science