BT hubs replacement set to take place in Reading

The biggest telecoms company in Britain is set to replace phone boxes with new ‘street hubs’ throughout Reading.

BT maintains a number of phone boxes from the 1990s to allow people to make on the go calls.

But now these boxes are becoming dated, with the telecoms company applying to replace them with ‘Street Hubs’ at four locations.

BT has applied for the street hubs on the pavements outside Great Brighams Mead in Vastern Road, in Church Street, Caversham, the Shell fuel station at the Norcot junction, and outside a row of shops in Shinfield Road.

All four are grey coloured phone boxes, with Street Hubs providing calls, Wi-Fi and advertising.

A BT spokesperson explained: “Street Hubs are designed to provide a wide range of benefits to local communities, including free ultra-fast Wi-Fi, phone calls, rapid device charging, real-time public information and a dedicated 999 calling button for emergencies.

“We remain committed to working collaboratively with local authorities to ensure that the payphone estate is upgraded to meet current requirements and reflect the needs of the community.”

The Street Hubs may have mini mobile masts added to them to help further boost 4G and 5G installed in the future.

The hub also provides street-level advertising for businesses, with a potential for five per cent of the screen time to be provided to Reading Borough Council.

BT has submitted plans for the Street Hubs to the council.