Wireless internet in a payphone.
Brazilian telecom operator Oi has created a project to offer pedestrians Wi-Fi connectivity with speeds of up to 2 megabits per second in telephone booths. With sponsorship, access could be free.
247 - The telecommunications company Oi has developed a project to offer wireless broadband internet in public payphones across the country, according to a report in the Folha de São Paulo newspaper. The service could become free to users if there is sponsorship for the new equipment. Otherwise, mobile internet would be available via cards with access codes.
According to the publication, Brazil currently has 1,1 million public telephones. Of these, 824 belong to Oi. With the increase in cell phone use, these devices have become idle, despite being in good technological condition. This infrastructure can be used to offer open internet access to cell phones, laptops, or any device enabled for Wi-Fi connection. "The access speed will be up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps), double what is foreseen in the National Broadband Plan," states Folha.
Behind this project is a contract signed between Oi and Populus Propaganda e Marketing Ltda., headed by Mayra Fonseca Couto Souza Carmo, daughter of former federal deputy Paulo Heslander (PTB-MG). Populus would provide advertising in the new booths to pay for the use of the infrastructure and remunerate Oi. This would enable free access to the service.