BSNL to set up 1 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots by March 2019

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has plans to set up over 1 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots across India by March 2019, the telecom operator said on Monday.

These plans were confirmed by the BSNL head, who added that the company will invest about Rs 1,800 crore in setting up 70,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is providing a fund of Rs 900 crore.The overall cost of managing the project will include three years of operation and maintenance for setting up 25,000 hotspots.

We have plans to set up 1 lakh wi-fi connections by March 2019, which include 25,000 for rural areas. The USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) will provide financial support for rural wi-fi hotspots. Anupam Shrivastava, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL

In addition to the numbers mentioned above, Shrivastava informed that another 5,000 hotspots will be set up and the revenue will be shared between the vendor and the telecom operator.We will set up another 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots on revenue share basis and BSNL is not required to invest capital. we are only providing bandwidth. Anupam Shrivastava, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL Slowly but gradually, Wi-Fi availability is increasing in India. Earlier this month, Delhi Metro has started offering free Wi-Fi to commuters, without charging them for using the internet.