After taking the competition in the broadband segment head-on by drastically reducing broadband usage tariff, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is now expanding its network of Wi-Fi services. The government-run telecom giant is planning to provide Wi-Fi facility in Chandigarh and a few cities in Punjab.
Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Internet service, provided through BSNLs Wi-Fi hotspots, are wireless broadband access points around key public sites such as airports, railway stations, university campuses, hotels, bars and coffee shops. The wireless local area network (WLAN) allows people with laptops and wireless LAN PC cards to send and receive data at broadband speed as long as they are close to one of these hotspots.
BSNL is set to provide 300 Wi-Fi hotspots in 24 cities by August-end and it is setting up 10 base stations of Wi-Max (wireless broadband) in a large area. The Wi-Fi Internet facility in Chandigarh is in the planning stage and we are working on it, said BSNLs Principal General Manager (Telecom, Chandigarh) O.P. Sikka .
BSNL would offer both post-paid and pre-paid tariff plans for public utility Wi-Fi access. After the success of a pilot project for Wi-Fi at Kolkatas Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, BSNL has come up with a number of hotspots in some metros and is in the process of installing more in various cities and experts believe that these are likely to hit 1,500 by the year-end.
More
|
