Government to introduce public Wi-Fi in 25 cities by June 2015

Government is looking for a speedy rollout of Wi-Fi services at select public places in top 25 cities with population of over 10 lakh by June 2015. “Government has plans to empanel three to four Wi-Fi service provider for speedy roll out of Wi-Fi hotspots across top 25 cities in the country by June 2015. The services will be available at select public places within these cities,” according to an official source. The project is part of Digital India programme under which the government aims to cover cities with population of over 1 million and tourist destinations with Wi-Fi services by December 2015. Telecom firms may get three months time to complete rollout from the date they accept purchase order. The project is jointly being worked by the Department of Telecom and Ministry of Urban Development. The government will facilitate permissions required from local authorities for network roll out. The government has also separately identified 25 archaeological monuments to provide free Wi-Fi access, the source said. These monuments include Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, Qutub Complex in Delhi, Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri Sravasti and Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram, Vaishali-Kohua in Bihar, Martand Temple and Leh Palace in J&K, Konark Temple in Odisha, Rani-ki Vav Gujarat, Khajuraho and Mandu in Madhya Pradesh and Rang Ghar in Assam. “The idea is that people even foreign tourists should stay connected. Besides, Wi-Fi spots will also lower traffic burden on telecom networks,” the source said. PTI