Now New Yorkers don’t need electricty to charge their phones. AT&T and the Bloomberg Administration recently unveiled free street solar mobile charging stations across the five boroughs, where people can charge their phones, tablets and other devices.

AT&T conceived the ideas of the stations after Superstorm Sandy left the city without power, a press release said. AT&T powered the city’s distribution centers with commercial generators and pop-up cellular service. They drew New Yorkers who’d been without electricity for days.

By the end of the summer, AT&T, which teamed up with solar company Goal Zero and Brooklyn-based design firm Pensa to develop the stations, will deploy about 25 solar mobile charging units. Stations are already up and running at Fort Greene Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier I, Governor’s Island, Pier 1 at Riverside Park and Union Square Park.

The charging stations are not limited to AT&T customers, said Brett LeVecchio with AT&T. The street chargers were a natural step for the company to keep New Yorkers connected, he said.

It takes about two hours to fully charge a phone with the solar power, LeVecchio said. But in most cases- especially if people are waiting- people are expected to plug in their devices to get enough juice to use it and get to their next location, he said.

The charging units work day or night and in sun or shade, the press release said. Three monocrystaline solar panels collect the sun’s energy during the day to charge internal batteries that allow the stations to work even when the sun isn’t shining.

After Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked the private sector to help improve the resiliency of New York City, Bloomberg said in a press release. AT&T has done that with the stations, he said.

Two years ago AT&T started offering free wi-fi in 26 locations in city parks. Solar charging stations is a logical next step in the company’s efforts to serve the city, said Marissa Shorenstein, New York State President with AT&T in the release.

"At NYC Parks, we’re always looking for ways to get New Yorkers and visitors into the great outdoors to relax and re-charge, and this gives it a whole new meaning,” New York City Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White said in the release. “New Yorkers enjoy some of the best parks in the country, and now, thanks to this collaboration with AT&T, Pensa and Goal Zero, they’ll be able to power up their phones for free using solar power.”

For now, AT&T isn’t announcing plans for stations outside of New York City, LeVecchio said.