Doctor Who-style blue phoneboxes to become Wi-Fi hubs in Leeds

In one city in the UK, phoneboxes will once again become more than unofficial public urination stations with several in Leeds being restored and fitted with some serious tech.

Local firm aql has painted the old coin-operated boxes a nice shade of Doctor Who blue and fitted them with free public Wi-Fi in several popular locations around the city.

The superfast Wi-Fi signal will carry for "several hundred yards" around the box and also facilitate emergency calling, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports.

The phone boxes will also feature interactive, touchscreen information stations, which will encourage visitors and residents to record video messages chronicling their memories of the town (like that's not going to be abused...).

Symbol of Leeds

"We won't be putting the blue boxes in any other cities, as we want them to be a symbol of Leeds," said aql's CEO Dr Adam Beaumont. "We want them to become iconic."

Naturally, the phoneboxes will remain locked at all times, so, you know, people can't pee in them. Old habits die hard.

Via Engadget