Soon, Indians will get a million Wi-Fi hotspots: Details here
What's the story
In a bid to keep people connected, government is working with major telecom giants to establish a massive public Wi-Fi network.
The network, as DNA reported, will be created with nearly a million hotspots located all across the country.
They'll be available at all major public areas, including markets, shopping complexes, malls, and other prime locations.
Here are the details.
Seamless connectivity
Connect once and use wherever you go
These days, public Wi-Fi points, be it on a metro station or somewhere else, require users to authenticate via mobile.
But, a network as massive as this would give users an opportunity to connect once and use the service where ever they go - a new locality or city.
As per DNA, Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL are working on the project.
Cost
But, will it be free?
We're not sure. The project is still at a nascent stage and the telcos will iron out traffic details once it's ready.
Most public Wi-Fi networks are free for first 15-20 minutes, following which the user is prompted to pay a token amount to continue.
The operators might follow the same model or they could bundle the cost of Wi-Fi with their existing plans.
Added benefits
Either way, mobile networks will get more efficient
With public Wi-Fi coming into action, telcos will be able to provide more efficient mobile services.
Essentially, by setting up Wi-Fi at prime locations, companies will free their heavily loaded mobile networks and improve performance.
Not to mention, they'll also get an opportunity to tap into new markets (like small towns with first-time users) with the massive reach of the project.
2019 Deployment
And, when will it be deployed by?
The proof-of-concept has been submitted to DoT and the work is likely to begin by the end of this month.
If everything goes according to the plan, the hotspots will be ready to use by next year.
Notably, the details were revealed by an executive from a telecom firm and later confirmed by Rajan Mathews, the DG of Cellular Operators Association of India.