BENGALURU: If everything goes according to plan, tech capital Bengaluru will have over 3,000 free wi-fi zones in the next few days and the project is expected to be extended to other parts of the state.
IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge met Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also Bengaluru Development Minister, on Sunday and discussed the free wi-fi initiative.
Kharge told The New Indian Express that his department is planning to approach and discuss the project with broadband providers and telecom companies. “The cost of the project for the government would almost be nil. Going by the geographical area, Bengaluru needs at least 3,000 such wi-fi spots,” he said.
The project will be first introduced in highly dense areas like the market, metro stations and bus stands. “As most services, including booking an auto, need the internet, this initiative is expected to help the public,” he said. Once Bengaluru is covered, it could be extended to various other districts.
In 2014 too, when Siddaramiah was chief minister, a similar initiative had been taken up in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, said Kharge, who was the IT-BT minister then too. The project had been launched on MG Road and a user was allowed three hours of free browsing with a downloadable data limit of 50 MB.