200 Wi-Fi hotspots in State soon

In five months, the State will have 200 Wi-Fi hotspots including 110 in Bengaluru and three in each of the 30 districts, Information Technology Minister S R Patil said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Patil said the expression for interest for the project would be called on January 14. The government has earmarked Rs 4.5 crore for creating the Wi-Fi hotspots, he added.

At present, the department of Information Technology is providing free wi-fi services at nine places in Bengaluru including MG Road and a few busy junctions. The 110 Wi-Fi zones should be in place by May this year, the minister said.

In Bengaluru, the department will provide free Wi-Fi facilities at bus terminals, commercial centres, railway stations and residential areas, Patil said. In districts, Wi-Fi services will be provided in and around the offices of deputy commissioners, offices of chief executive officers (CEOs) of Zilla panchayats, Patil added. The aim of the project was to make it easier for the people to access various services of the State government using wi-fi facilities, he said.

The minister said that the government was also working on a revenue model so that the wi-fi service providers involved in the project make profits. However, the service will be free of cost to the public.

Replying to a query on the threat to IT companies by terror organisations, Patil said the home department and the police is keeping a vigil on all IT establishments. He said that the Centre has promised all possible help, and added that security to IT companies was one of the top priorities of the State government.