Swansea phone boxes to be wi-fi and charging hubs

Free wi-fi and phone charging points will be available at old phone boxes in Swansea as a new scheme is rolled out across the city.

The structures - called InLinks - will replace a number of old BT payphones and offer "the fastest free public wi-fi in the UK" at 1Gbps.

On Friday, 11 points go live, and there are plans to eventually have 28 across Swansea.

The city follows London, Leeds, Glasgow and Southampton in installing InLinks.

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People will also be able to access city services, maps and the phone book.

Jessica Tompkinson, from InLinkUK said: "Pretty much the city centre is going to be covered with free ultrafast BT wi-fi, so it's for everybody and not just BT customers.

"Anyone who's got a smartphone, tablet or a device that connects to wi-fi will be able to get online really quickly and easily."

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said: "It's all part of the journey Swansea is on in terms of re-invention and regeneration. We're putting in all of our new networks across the city so we'll have the fastest wi-fi in the UK.

"We will be a fifth generation test bed for new technology so this is all part of the digital journey that we're on."