The Government of Telangana and Bharti Airtel, today launched the State’s first “Public Wi-fi”. In the run-up to make Hyderabad a “Global Smart City”, this has been launched as a pilot in 17 tested hotspot locations in the hub of Hi-tech city enabling customers across operators to avail public Wi-Fi and enjoy internet services of upto 750 Mb per day per user. This initiative is a part of the Government’s broader agenda of allowing citizens to experience a host of web opportunities making Hyderabad a leading digital city.
Users of smartphones, tablets, and other WiFi-enabled devices will now be able to connect to data across these 17 locations around the Hi-tech city. To begin with, these public Wi-Fi hotspots have been set up between Cyber towers to Madhapur Police Station, Cyber Towers to Kothaguda Junction and Cyber Towers to Raheja Mindspace Circle. On an average around 40,000 commuters, commercial establishments, visitors can benefit from this service.
Announcing the launch, The Honorable Minister of Information Technology, Government of Telangana, Sri K.T. Rama Rao said, “Enabling public access to superior Wi-Fi technology across the city is at the heart of the Telangana Government’s efforts to promote greater digital inclusion for the citizens of Hyderabad therefore making it a “Global Smart City”. This remarkable partnership with Airtel in Hyderabad is the largest in the country and will strengthen the community as it connects more Hyderabad citizens than ever before.”
Mr. Venkatesh Vijayraghavan, Chief Executive Officer, Bharti Airtel – Andhra Pradesh & Telangana said, “Today internet is a critical tool for various day-to-day needs especially in the field of healthcare, banking, education etc., and it is thus imperative to enable more citizens in the country to access internet and easily experience these capabilities. We are privileged to partner the Government in its vision of making Hyderabad a Global Smart City and empowering citizens.”
Citizens with any valid Indian mobile number can easily access the public Wi-Fi at all the 17 locations by switching on Wi-Fi in their Wi-Fi enabled device. On selecting the public Wi-Fi, a One-Time password (OTP) will be sent to their mobile number. They can then latch on to the Wi-Fi post authentication of the password and enjoy internet services of upto 750 Mb per day per user. This service will increase digital access for the residents of Hyderabad including housing residents, commuters, office goers as well as businesses and visitors in the area, giving them 24/7 access to everything in the data world.
(Note: This blog post is part of Airtel Media release)