Mobile net makes Centre’s free Wi-Fi move redundant

Nellore: Free Wi-Fi services at selected public places across the country as part of Digital India has been tardy but now the tremendous technical advancement in mobile technology is offering a way to achieve this goal. Even in small city like Nellore, small tea vendors are using SIM-based hotspot for providing hassle-free unlimited internet connectivity free of cost to their customers.

• Tea stalls, small businesses provide SIM-based Wi-Fi using hotspots
• Centre’s grandiose plan to provide public Wi-Fi facility in 25 cities still yet to take off

Interestingly, many petty traders are using services of local internet service providers for offering free Wi-Fi services to their customers thus keeping them on their premises for some more time which certainly will boost their business. Some tea stalls, businesses have been providing internet facility to enable their patrons continue chatting and browsing and were paying Rs. 600-700 per month for cellular providers.

With the introduction of new types of 4G services by new players brought a revolution in communication, thus making high speed internet affordable, and sometimes free of cost, at least for now. These petty traders and businesses are using such SIM cards for providing high speed facility which can serve six-eight phones with the help of hotspot facility.

“Earlier we had to wait for free Wi-Fi services from the government. We are now getting 4G SIM cards from cellular service providers and there is a no need for recharging on a regular basis for some cards. Now, we are able to give connectivity to others too,” said D Sai Krishna, who works in a private firm.

The Union government had proposed to provide Wi-Fi facility in the top 25 cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Ghaziabad, Indore, Coimbatore, Kochi, Patna, Kozhikode, Bhopal, Thrissur, Vadodara, Agra, Vishakhapatnam, and Malappuram.

However, very few cities got the facility and the Indian Railways has started providing the facility in all A+ category stations with a plan to extend to ‘A’ category stations shortly. But, the technological development has ushered in significant changes in the add-on services and consequently mobile users are being benefitted by it.

“The government has to liberalise regulations on internet services which will enable service providers offer affordable and high-quality services to the consumers. The government need not set up free Wi-Fi hotspots in the current scenario as they would not be useful for people due to hidden restrictions,” said K Rajagopal, an IT professional.

By P V Prasad