CHENNAI: The Chennai corporation has installed smart poles at 49 locations in the city where residents can access free WiFi for up to 30 minutes.
The project, under the Smart Cities, is available in areas including Gemini junction near Semmozhi park, seven locations in Marina beach including near Kannagi statue and light house, T Nagar pedestrian plaza and Thiruvanmiyur beach among others.
The full list of all 49 locations where WiFi is accessible is available at https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/images/WiFiSmartPol.pdf
Residents may connect to these free WiFi services by registering their mobile phones and entering a one time password (OTP) when they are within the range, according to a statement by the city corporation on Tuesday.
Once the 30 minutes of free WiFi has been used, connection will be lost, said corporation officials. There is no chargeable option to extend use after the 30-minute period.
"For the same location, they will get another 30 minutes the next day and so on," the official said.
The smart poles are integrated into the corporation's command and control centre.
According to senior corporation officials, the poles have been ready for a long time but were not publicised due to COVID-19 and the model code of conduct for the elections.
"The smart poles have cameras and also an emergency call button. They can also be used for public service announcements. During the previous COVID waves, we had used them to disseminate information in areas like the beaches," said a senior corporation official.
The emergency call button is primarily designed to come to the aid of women and children. Pressing the alarm button will transmit the location details of the person to the nearest police station and will be attended to by the police patrol nearby.