NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZenFi Networks, an innovative leader of digital infrastructure solutions in the New York and New Jersey metro region, announces today that the company is now shortlisted for the Best Wi-Fi for Social Impact Award by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) Industry Awards 2022. The winners will be announced at the formal Awards Ceremony taking place at the Wireless Global Congress EMEA at the RAI Convention Centre, Hall 9 at 17:00 CET in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The WBA Industry Awards promotes innovation around the wireless industry and recognizes the successful initiatives and projects from industry leaders over the past year. ZenFi Networks is being considered for the “Best Wi-Fi For Social Impact'' award due to the company’s various initiatives focused on social good to benefit local communities. These initiatives include expanding free outdoor public Wi-Fi through its partnership in the LinkNYC program, building millions of feet of neutral fiber infrastructure to traditionally underserved neighborhoods of New York City, and delivering on its promise of being an open access infrastructure provider by enabling wholesale carriers, mobile network operators, and virtual mobile network operators access to wireless siting, fiber networks, and network edge colocation opportunities outside the core business districts of Manhattan.
Earlier this year, in partnership with CityBridge, ZenFi Networks began deployment of Link5G to address the need for more wireless connectivity across New York City. Link5G is a multi-tenant, multi-service siting solution designed to bridge the digital divide and accelerate the pace of 5G deployments across New York City. The LinkNYC platform represents ZenFi Networks’ vision for delivering underlying C-RAN infrastructure in dense urban environments at speed and scale. In addition to including wireless siting opportunities for carrier customers, the LinkNYC platform enables ZenFi Networks to expand its virtual infrastructure offerings. These products include roaming, offload, private LTE and 5G networks by leveraging a shared radio access network infrastructure. As a neutral host provider, ZenFi Networks works in close collaboration with its customers and the City of New York to expand underlying infrastructure equitably across the five boroughs.
“We are honored to be considered for a global award that recognizes companies that are working towards bridging the digital divide in underserved communities,” comments Ray LaChance, Co-Founder and CEO of ZenFi Networks. “With the Link5G initiative, we at ZenFi Networks take great pride in the benefits that we’re working to bring to our community here in New York City.”
Once fully deployed, there will be approximately 2,000 new Link5G kiosks throughout the five boroughs, which will bring the total LinkNYC network to at least 4,000 locations citywide. Each Link kiosk provides free high-speed Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, access to social services, and displays content such as real-time weather, transit info, public art and local information. The city-wide network has over 11 million Wi-Fi users and has connected more than 25 million free phone calls. All of LinkNYC’s services are completely free to users and taxpayers, provided by CityBridge, a partnership between Intersection and ZenFi Networks.
For more information about ZenFi Networks, visit www.zenfi.com.
For more information about LinkNYC, visit www.link.nyc.
About ZenFi Networks:
ZenFi Networks, an innovative digital infrastructure company that delivers wireless siting, offload and roaming, network edge colocation and fiber optic network solutions in the NY-NJ metro region, is creating a platform to allow different providers the opportunity to expand 5G. ZenFi Networks has an unparalleled reputation for efficiently architecting and delivering solutions that enable not only Mobile Network Operators, Wholesale Telecommunications Providers, large enterprises but also the communities that need to be connected. With its purpose-built C-RAN infrastructure, ZenFi Networks is at the forefront of network architecture innovation and a critical part of the digital ecosystem in one of the biggest, most important markets in the world. For more information, please visit: www.zenfi.com.
About LinkNYC:
LinkNYC is the world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network. Each Link kiosk provides free superfast Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, access to social services, and displays content such as real-time weather, transit info, public art and local information. The city-wide network has over 10 million Wi-Fi users and has connected more than 25 million free phone calls. All of LinkNYC’s services are completely free to users and taxpayers, provided by CityBridge, a partnership between Intersection and ZenFi Networks. The next phase of LinkNYC will deploy thousands of new kiosks, called Link5G, enabled with 5G wireless technology across the city. For more information about LinkNYC or to find a Link near you, visit www.link.nyc.
