Over the last few weeks, we've been telling you about the new free Wi-Fi hotspots and cell phone charging stations that have been rolling out to the streets of New York City. 

Some of them are already live, offering NYC access to the world wide web. 

DNAinfo reported that the Upper East Side has been outfitted with 16 kiosks as part of LinkNYC's project to blanket the city with Wi-Fi, offering free Wi-Fi, phone service, cell phone charging, and a 911 button. 

These kiosks can be found along Third Avenue at East 60th, 68th, 69th, 77th, 80th, 82nd, 83rd, 86th, 87th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, and 95th streets, though they have not been activated as of yet.

The kiosks are expected to go live as soon as a water main project on 57th street and Third Avenue is completed, according to a spokeswoman for CityBridge, the service provider who acquired a 12-year contract with the city. 

The project will not go without revenue, however, as the kiosks are estimated to bring in about $500 million over 12-years due to advertisements on the sides of the kiosks. 

Even though these kiosks are taking the places of a lost NYC icon, standalone phone booths, most NYC residents seem pleased with the upgrades. 

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"I like the look of them-- they're sleek and modern and have a 911 intercom and a place to charge," Rochelle Pillar, a resident of the area, told DNAinfo. 

"As long as they show fun, nice ads that are relevant, otherwise it would cheapen the look."

However, other residents aren't so certain about the project. 

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"I don't even know what it is. I thought it was for parking," stated John Blair, another resident, to DNAinfo. "We're moving into the future, but I think for one person to sit here plugged into a big machine to charge their phone... it's a lot of unit for little payoff." 

CityBridge expects to have 510 kiosks along Third and Eighth avenues north of 14th Street. These kiosks will be in Manhattan, the South Bronx, Jamaica, Flatbush Avenue, and St. George in Staten Island.

Regardless of the timeline, we're excited to see if and how these kiosks change everyday life in NYC, or if they'll just be a huge waste of money, resources, and time. 

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