I’m sure if you’ve been walking around Jersey City, you’ve been noticing these little kiosks. For years, I’ve been talking about how cool it’d be to have citywide Wi-Fi so you can access what you need when you’re out and about. All over the world, you can get Wi-Fi anywhere, so why not Jersey City? With these kiosks, it’s finally happening. The future is now.

I sat down with Brian Platt to get the details on what we can expect!

Brian: There are currently about 18 kiosks in the city. They’re finalizing the software and hardware this week and early next week. We’ll probably light them up in early April. The kiosks will have posts about local community events, emergency alerts, real-time transit updates. There’ll also be ad space for local businesses available, free public Wi-Fi, and security cameras. These kiosks generate revenue for the city, and they’re all free. We’re going to make a few hundred thousands of dollars a year with them.

If somebody’s interested in doing an ad, who do they reach out to?

Brian: We’re still finalizing all that right now. There’s a site you can visit to sign up.

When will it be up and running?

Brian: Probably the first week of April. We’re not certain yet. I’m really excited about the kiosks. It’s our first real foray into being a smart city.

The Wi-Fi in itself is huge! What’s the radius?

Brian: It depends on the area. It’s maybe 150-300 ft. Anywhere you put them, it’s the park area around it. We essentially installed a box where we can put smart city technology in. If you wanted to do pedestrian counts or a Shot Spotter to detect when shootings happen. It’s there, just plug it in. And it’s all free!