London's new high-tech phone boxes have one problem: they don't work

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London’s brand new, and supposedly high-tech, phone boxes are currently little more than elaborate-looking advertising boards, according to reports.

Around 100 of them were installed across the capital by advertising firm Clear Channel last year, with 500 more set to pop up before the end of 2017.

Each kiosk has been designed to offer Wi-Fi, touchscreen-controlled interactive maps and payphone services, but these don’t appear to be working as they should, according to The Memo.

The box’s screen is said to be slow to respond to taps, instead requiring repeated “ramming”. It even displays the wrong time.

The map service, meanwhile, is unavailable, and trying to access the Wi-Fi merely brings up the message “No Data, please enter commissioning mode”.

The only thing that works as it should is the advertising screen, though the report adds that the payphone had a dial tone, but the writer didn’t want to risk putting his card into it.

“The stunning new phone boxes re-imagine the iconic London phone box for the 21st Century and pay homage to a design classic – breathing life back into the traditional, and instantly recognisable, British payphone,” is how Clear Channel describes the boxes.

They were designed and built by a company called Amscreen, which Lord Sugar is chairman of.

“As with all new technology there will be a short period when the kiosks aren’t fully operational,” said a Clear Channel spokesperson.

“Our team is working around the clock to ensure Londoners can benefit from telephone, free public Wi-Fi and interactive maps as quickly as possible after installation.”