Telangana's transport corporation’s Wi-Fi project caught in blame game

Bharati Airtel, the telecommunication company that partnered with TSRC to launch the facility, said it was the onus of the department to follow up on a full-fledged proposal.
Image for representational purpose only
Image for representational purpose only

HYDERABAD:  While States like Karnataka, Kolkata and Uttar Pradesh are stepping up their vision for a ‘smart city’ by enabling free Wi-Fi in buses and bus stations, the Metro Luxury buses or air-conditioned buses of TSRTC is a forgotten project now. After running the service for six months as part of a pilot project in 115 buses, the Wi-Fi facility has become defunct despite receiving a good response. 
Even the Pushpak Airport Liner operating between RGIA and the city has no internet facility. “The facility has been a huge hit but data transfer rate was not enough to accommodate multiple users over same router,” said a bus conductor of Dilsukhnagar bus depot. 

Meanwhile, Bharati Airtel, the telecommunication company that partnered with TSRC to launch the facility, said it was the onus of the department to follow up on a full-fledged proposal. “It is the duty of the corporation to follow up on the initiative, not us,” said Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan, CEO of Bharti Airtel in AP and TS. 

However, the corporation maintains the service provider was unable to offer seamless services. “They (Bharti Airtel) said it was a losing proposition and may not work for Hyderabad where continuous Wi-Fi may not be available on road,” said A Purshotham, Executive Director of TSRTC. We are considering to call for fresh tenders or re-negotiate with Bharti Airtel to resume the services, he added.

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