Ola to make Wi-Fi facility available across categories soon

Transportation app Ola will soon extend Wi-Fi services to users across segments including Micro, Mini and even autorickshaws. The Bengaluru-based firm currently offers in-car Wi-Fi services to users of its Prime category. Ola on Thursday announced the launch of Ola Wi-Fi that will allow users to auto connect to Internet in an Ola cab without having to enter credentials every single time. “Users with a one-time authentication on their phones, can use Ola Wi-Fi on their devices without having to key in login credentials and passwords in subsequent rides, staying connected with Ola’s secure network whenever they take a ride,” Ola Head of Categories and Chief Marketing Officer Raghuvesh Sarup told PTI. He added that Auto-Connect Wi-Fi is currently available for free on Ola Prime and “will soon be available across all categories including Micro, Mini and Auto-rickshaws available on the Ola app”. He however declined to comment on the timeline or investment details for the initiative. The company charges a base fare of Rs. 100 (first 4 kms) and then Rs. 10 per km in Delhi for its Prime category cars that offer in-car access to Internet. For Mini, users pay Rs. 8 per km, while the base fare remains same as that for Prime. “Ola Wi-Fi addresses the need for consumers to be connected to the Internet while on the go, without the hassles of having to use unique credentials every single time,” Sarup said. He added that over 200TB of data was consumed on a monthly basis by users of Ola Prime, which made available high speed Wi-Fi in-cab with a standard authentication process. In the past, Ola has enabled 2G optimisation, made over nine local languages available and enabled turn-by-turn navigation features for driver-partners through its app. PTI