An event took place in New York that marks the end of an entire era with the richest cultural and historical layers – the last pay phone was removed from the streets of the city. Previously recognizable booths were one of the symbols of the city, but the ubiquity of mobile communications gradually made them unnecessary.

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The iconic pay phone replacement program began under Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014 when the city announced it was accepting proposals to modernize the service.

Authorities have chosen CityBridge to design and maintain LinkNYC’s kiosks, which offer services like phone calls, Wi-Fi and gadget charging. In 2015, the liquidation of pay phones began, with replacement by high-tech kiosks. According to reports, there are now about 2,000 kiosks in New York.

As a city spokesman told reporters, “Just as we have moved from horses and carts to cars, and from cars to airplanes, digital evolution has led to a shift from pay phones to high-speed Wi-Fi kiosks to meet the demand for our rapidly changing needs. in daily communication .

The latest pay phone will be on display at the Museum of the City of New York as part of an exhibition dedicated to life in the metropolis before the advent of the computer age.