Bengaluru to get over 5,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots: Details here
People living in Bengaluru will get more than 5,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots to stay connected all the time. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has selected four agencies to provide free Wi-Fi in major parts of the city, including public places like shopping malls and parks. N Manjunatha Prasad, the Commissioner of BBMP, recently met the agencies to finalize the plan. Here's more.
The plan for free public Wi-Fi
According to the finalized details, ACT, Honeycomb, Indus Towers, and DVOIS will provide Wi-Fi connectivity at as many as 5,938 public hotspots. They'll install a dedicated antenna at each site, which will provide free internet access for half an hour. Following this, the user will have to pay a certain token amount to continue surfing.
Work underway, but there are some issues
Though Indus Towers has already started installing Wi-Fi antennae at 60 of its 140 allotted hotspots, other agencies have raised issues regarding the fee charged for it. BBMP is charging Rs. 62,000 + 18% GST for each pole, which the other three agencies termed as extremely high. They requested BBMP to charge Rs. 500 per month per pole.
Resurvey to be conducted for installation
Now, the three agencies have sought two weeks from BBMP. They plan on using this time to conduct a resurvey, where the locations, as well as the local conditions (availability of power and other factors), will be examined for installation. Notably, Indus Towers faced opposition from locals while installing the towers and have also changed some spots for the speedy progress of the project.
