Link usage rises to 4 million Wi-Fi sessions every week; 78 percent of New Yorkers have a favorable opinion of world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network
LinkNYC announced today that the world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network has added its millionth user less than a year after publicly launching on the streets of New York City. As of January 4th, over 1,040,000 people – more than the populations of San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, or Denver – have signed up to use its gigabit Wi-Fi service, with approximately 40,000 people joining the network for the first time each week.
“Bringing free Wi-Fi to our sidewalks is an important part of our efforts to increase internet access for all New Yorkers. It’s no surprise that people are using the LinkNYC program and are happy about the services it provides – ultrafast Wi-Fi, phone calls, and more – at no cost to taxpayers,” saidMayor Bill de Blasio.
“With Link kiosks now in all five boroughs, we have helped more than a million New Yorkers and visitors get online at the fastest speeds available in New York City, for free.” said Jen Hensley, General Manager of LinkNYC. “Less than one year in, we are thrilled with the response to LinkNYC.”
LinkNYC By the Numbers (As of January 4, 2017)
- Total Wi-Fi subscribers: 1,040,000
- New Wi-Fi sign-ups per week: 40,000
- Wi-Fi sessions per week: 4,000,000
- Data downloaded by LinkNYC users since launch: 555,710 Gigabytes
- Busiest day by users: Jan 4, 2017: 125,756 unique users
- Busiest day by data transferred: Dec 31, 2016: 4,656 GB
New Yorkers Know – and Love – LinkNYC
71% of New Yorkers are aware of LinkNYC, and of them, 92% believe it has positive benefits for New York City, according to a survey conducted by Sachs Insights of 1,000 people across the New York City region. Among those aware of LinkNYC:
- 78% have a favorable opinion of the network.
- 89% believe LinkNYC makes NYC more innovative than other cities.
- 89% appreciate that LinkNYC’s services are free thanks to advertising, which reaches over 11 million people weekly.
Where to Find the City’s Most Popular Link
The city’s most popular Link stands in Herald Square (at 1313 Broadway) and has served about 600,000 Wi-Fi sessions all by itself.
“We’re incredibly excited to see the overwhelmingly positive response to LinkNYC over the past year,” said Anne Roest, Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. “Reaching 1 million users demonstrates that New Yorkers and our City’s record-breaking number of visitors are taking advantage of the free services that LinkNYC provides - superfast Wi-Fi, USB charging, City and emergency services, and phone calls. Our progress has been incredible so far, with over 500 active kiosks across the city, and we will continue to build on this ambitious, first-of-its kind network across the City in the coming years.”
“Over 1 million users is a major milestone but it is just the beginning for LinkNYC. As the network expands and the word gets out, LinkNYC will continue to be a key component to provide connectivity for New Yorkers across the 5 boroughs,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Miguel Gamiño.
About LinkNYC
LinkNYC is the first-of-its-kind communications network replacing the city’s payphones to build the world’s fastest, largest free public Wi-Fi network at no cost to taxpayers. Since Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the public launch of LinkNYC in February, more than 600 Links have been installed across all five boroughs. Each Link provides New Yorkers with free, fast Wi-Fi, free domestic calling, two USB charging ports, Maps, and direct access to 911 and 311.
To find a Link near you, visit: link.nyc/find-a-link.html
