From WiFi hotspots to WiFi cities

From WiFi hotspots to WiFi cities

DNA


BANGALORE: Bangalore's tech edge is set to get sharper as city officials turn it into one giant wireless hotspot. A similar project is under way in Pune.

WiFi hotspots are common in many cities. Bangalore itself has 200 of them in star hotels, coffee shops, malls and the airport lobby. But now the government in association with Intel has started a project that will spread the wireless mesh all across the city.

What this means is anybody with a laptop could get internet access not only in a wifi-enabled mall or coffee shop but even while sitting on a bench in a public park. It can transform the city with homes, offices, schools, shops and public areas getting a broadband service as soon as there is hardware to access it. "People will have fast, convenient access to information from anywhere in the city," Karnataka IT Secretary M K Shankaralinge Gowda told DNA.

Intel will help the government to deploy and manage the wireless service. "We have proposed multiple business models with minimal cost impact on the consumer," Intel Consumer Solutions Group Director Surendra Arora said.

The project will enhance Bangalore's image as India's Silicon Valley. "This digital infrastructure would give an edge to the city as a technology investment destination," says Rajiv Modi, CEO of Sasken Technologies that builds software for telecom firms. "Small entrepreneurs will benefit a lot, as it will give them a level playing field against the big guys," says Anirudh Mathuria, Managing Director of Sinett Semiconductors India, which develops chips for the wireless market. Mathuria expects entrepreneurs to leverage the infrastructure to offer innovative services.

Lifestyle changes are also in store. Siddhartha Reddy, a student at the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B), whose sprawling campus is already wifi-enabled, says he looks forward to switching to an internet radio station when he is stuck in one of the tech hub's frequent traffic snarls. "It will make the local FM stations reinvent themselves. The internet has thousands of radio channels and we have the option to tune in to any of them."

Reddy expects tech-savvy students like himself and the city's many IT professionals to be the early adopters of the technology, but it could also help bridge the digital divide with people not having to worry about expensive broadband connections to get an enhanced experience of the internet. "We can do inexpensive internet phone calls, read news or e-books, check our bank accounts, do e-ticketing and pay bills. The sky is the limit for users," says S Sadagopan, IIIT-B Director.

Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation has also tied up with Intel to provide a wireless network covering 400 sq km of the city.

PMC commissioner Nitin Kareer, while announcing the project recently, said: "As much as providing basic facilities such as sanitation and roads, PMC would like to provide internet connectivity. This will be a differentiator for Pune as an IT hub."

Rick Echevarria, vice-president, Intel Software and Solutions Group, said: "Wireless broadband connectivity can facilitate better education, healthcare and agricultural income.”