Newark Debuts LinkNWK, Joins NYC and London with Connected Kiosks

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Intersection, the leading smart cities technology and media company, today officially launched LinkNWK (pronounced “Link Newark”), activating Newark’s first Link kiosks that deliver super fast, secure Wi-Fi and other services at no cost to taxpayers or users. In addition to Wi-Fi, each Link kiosk offers free mobile device charging, phone calls to anywhere in the U.S., access to municipal services, maps and directions, and community content produced in conjunction with local partners. With LinkNWK, Newark joins New York City, London and cities around the U.K. in bringing these digital upgrades to city streets.

“Newark is once again defining itself to the state, nation, and world as a cutting-edge, high-tech city. These kiosks will enable residents and visitors alike to gain immediate information about Newark, ranging from upcoming cultural events to emergency service response,” said Mayor Baraka. “We are the only city in the entire state and the second in the nation to provide these services, and every person who uses one of these kiosks will not only gain the services they need, but learn something more important: Newark is a world-class urban leader.”

LinkNWK is the result of a collaboration between The City of Newark, The Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC), the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Intersection to enable city residents to benefit from Newark Fiber – a program designed to bring affordable gigabit internet to the city. LinkNWK, Newark Fiber, and the city’s famed research universities, tech-savvy workforce, and proximity to New York City, are all making Newark a robust technology center.

“We’re excited to continue to build upon Newark’s reputation as a tech hub. With major anchors and corporations like NJIT, Audible, Panasonic and Newark Venture Partners, as well as robust data infrastructure, we continue to bring Newark and its residents to the forefront of innovation,” said Aisha Glover, President and CEO of Newark CEDC. “We are equally excited that LinkNWK is another feather in our tech cap.”

LinkNWK kiosks will also provide residents and visitors with useful information and engaging community content, ranging from timely information like news and weather, to civic engagement initiatives and enriching arts and cultural programs. Starting today, Links will display hyper-local photography, upcoming community events and information on tuition-free technology training from local organizations HYCIDE, Newark Happening and Per Scholas. Intersection will continue to develop partnerships with local organizations to offer Newark residents new ways to engage with their city.

“Millions of people in New York and London have enjoyed Link’s free, super fast Wi-Fi, useful information, and other free services, and we are thrilled to partner with Mayor Baraka, the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation and NJIT to bring Links to the streets of Newark,” said Jen Hensley, President of Link at Intersection. “Newark is a rising star in the tech economy, and we are proud that LinkNWK will only add to this momentum.”

Intersection will install 45 LinkNWK kiosks throughout Newark, encompassing areas around Newark Penn Station, the Prudential Center, and along Broad Street, Market Street, Martin Luther King Blvd., and Irvine Turner Blvd. Link kiosks will also be installed on neighborhood corridors like Clinton Ave, Ferry St, South Orange Ave, and Bloomfield Ave, and will be placed in every one of Newark’s five wards.

NJIT will also partner with Intersection to help explore innovative use cases for the Links.

“We will work with developers, researchers, and entrepreneurs to expand the capabilities and the utility of the LinkNWK kiosks and to integrate them with apps and other tools that will be of value to citizens,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom. “We envision possibilities that will improve transportation, community health, education, public safety, real estate development, and many other aspects of business and life throughout our city’s downtown and its wards.”

LinkNWK is free to all residents and visitors because it is supported through advertising on the Link displays. In addition to covering the costs of building, installing, maintaining, and upgrading LinkNWK, advertising is expected to generate revenue for NCEDC to help fund other smart infrastructure programs. United Airlines is a launch advertising partner of the program.

“United Airlines is excited to be an inaugural advertiser with the LinkNWK kiosks to support the local community, home to our hub at Newark Liberty International Airport,” said Mark Krolick, United’s Vice President of Marketing. “As a company, we believe it’s important to provide continual support to an area where so many of our customers and employees live, work and visit. These new kiosks are another example of connecting Newark with the world.”

Intersection and its partners have deployed more than 2,000 Link kiosks across New York City, London, Glasgow, and other cities in the U.K., and will launch LinkPHL in Philadelphia later this fall. More than 5 million people have registered to use Link’s free Wi-Fi and hundreds of thousands of free phone calls are made each month. Newark is the first city to launch with the Link Wi-Fi App, which provides users with a secure, encrypted connection to the LinkNWK network. The app also features an interactive map that shows the nearest available Link hotspots and locations of future Links. To learn how to connect to the kiosks, visit https://www.cities.link/.

To learn more about Intersection’s urban partnerships, click ‘Learn More’ below.