GLASGOW has become the first city in Scotland to join a network that offers the UK’s fastest, free public wi-fi which already has 100,000 subscribers.

InLinkUK from BT has already seen the installation of the first 12 InLinks in the city centre, which can deliver ultrafast wi-fi speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1Gbps), along with free phone calls to UK landlines and mobiles, charging points for mobile phones and access to the BT Phone Book.

The city is the second outside of London to benefit from the new service. InLinks mean more space on pavements, as on average, they replace two standard modern phone boxes. BT’s iconic red phone boxes are not affected. Scotland’s first InLink is already live on Buchanan Street, in Glasgow’s “Style Mile” and the new communications service in the heart of the city will cement it as one of the UK’s most digitally connected locations.

So far, the UK rollout has seen nearly 150 InLinks installed in eight London boroughs and Leeds city centre, with hundreds more planned across the UK.

Since the first was installed last June, more than 100,000 people have subscribed to its free wi-fi, using enough data to download the equivalent of over 12 million songs.

The InLinks have also saved users more than £352,000 in free calls, with an average of 33,000 calls being made every week.

The community and Glasgow City Council are also benefiting from the digital displays on the InLinks which run real-time information, including the weather forecast and other local information. All these services are provided at no public cost, as the project is funded by advertising revenue. Each InLink provides more than 1000 hours of local messaging a year, acting as a community notice board for the local area.

Glasgow MSP, Annie Wells, who unveiled the first Glasgow InLink, said: “Glasgow has such a vibrant city centre and from my days working in Argyle Street to days spent shopping and eating in its many great restaurants, it has always retained its true character.

“Allowing people to access information and support helplines free of charge will add much to a city already bursting with creativity and entrepreneurial spark.”

Neil Scoresby, BT’s general manager for payphones and InLinkUK, said the launch brought the UK’s fastest free public wi-fi to Scotland: “Residents and visitors alike are set to benefit from this new state-of-the-art ‘phone box’, where they can also make calls for free, access local information and even charge their phone when out and about.”

Matt Bird, from InLinkUK, added: “With the introduction of the InLinks in the city, Scotland becomes the second nation in the UK to welcome this digital evolution.

“We are making great progress in our journey of creating smart communities, and with the InLinks offering free ultrafast wi-fi and a host of other free digital services, we are well on our way to achieving this in key UK cities.”