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The pay phone is becoming scarcer in The Big Apple.
The traditional public phones are being replaced by Wi-Fi hotspots.
It will take a year until the switch is flipped on the new service, but the new phones will have free calling, plugs to charge cellphones as well as the promised superfast, free Wi-Fi service, The Associated Press reported.
At least 7,500 hot spots will go online next year.
One hot spot has been installed, but is still being tested and is covered.
Some are embracing the free technology, but others have worries about linking a personal device to a public network.
The city said all data will be encrypted and information gathered for advertising will be made anonymous.
Despite more than 68 percent of Americans owning smartphones, there are still 8,200 payphones on the streets of New York, The AP reported.
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