BT street hubs installed around Ipswich to 'transform town'

Pedestrians will notice the BT Street Hubs in Butter Market, Westgate Street and Tower Ramparts bus station, outside Sailmakers Shopping Centre.

The kiosks all offer free calls, free Wi-Fi within a 150 metre radius and built in USB ports with rapid charging.

One of the street hubs installed in Westgate Street (Image: Tom Cann)

They also come with an emergency 999 button that if pressed will put you straight onto the emergency services and will send your location straight to them.

Each hub is made up of a 75-inch screen that can broadcast adverts as well as providing real-time information sharing.

BT said that the hubs will "bolster the region's digital infrastructure" and "transform the town", benefitting businesses and councils in the town.

One of the street hubs installed in Butter Market (Image: Newsquest)

The new hubs have been put up to replace the traditional red phone boxes, offering all the same services while being thinner in design.

BT previously said that the red phone boxes won't be going anywhere, with councils being able to 'adopt' them to be used in different ways such as housing defibrillators.

A BT spokesperson said: "Over 400 of our existing Street Hub units are already delivering a wide range of economic, social and technology benefits to communities and local councils up and down the country – from connecting local residents, businesses and visitors to free ultrafast Wi-Fi, to ensuring that people can contact the emergency services or charity helplines in times of need."

The hubs are currently under a cover and will be made accessible to the public in due course.

One of the street hubs installed outside Sailmakers (Image: Tom Cann)