The citizens of Delhi are all set to get access to free high-speed Wi-Fi by the end of the year. The initiative is part of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s election promise to supply such a service across the city.
Sadly, the Wi-Fi platform will be free only till a pre-determined limit on a daily basis. This boundary hasn’t been announced yet, but it will apparently be in line with the average daily usage of a person as stipulated by TRAI. The IT department will be handling the implementation of the project, with tenders for the scheme to be floated soon.
Over 1000 free Wi-Fi hotspot zones are going to be set up as part of the enterprise, scattered across 571 locations in the East Delhi trans-Yamuna region. Each zone will have three access points and will be able to accommodate up to approximately 120 people at a time.
Ashish Khetan, the vice-chairman of Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi, stated that over 3000 more access points will be added if the need arises. He also claims that the Wi-Fi project is the largest such endeavor in the world.
Also See: BSNL to set up 40000 Wi-Fi hotspots in India
As per PTI, Khetan went on to announce that the Delhi government is planning to lay down a common fiber-optic network all across the metro. This will supposedly allow the city’s residents to connect to the internet at gigabit speed.
It’s a tall order, with no further details given at this point of time. The government’s current fiber-optic network plans for connecting rural areas along the length and breadth of the country seems to be progressing very slowly, which doesn’t inspire confidence for this new venture.