HMR open to Wi-Fi on Metro

CURRENTLY, DELHI Metro Rail is offering this service on certain routes on a pilot basis. Indian Railways had dropped its proposal to offer Wi-Fi on board moving trains because of its higher costs and poor internet connectivity.

Hyderabad Metro Rail is willing to set up Wi-Fi hotspots in moving metro trains, its managing director N.V.S. Reddy said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event organised by ACT Fibernet to commemorate the launch of free Wi-Fi services in Hyderabad, Reddy said, “Hyderabad Metro Rail is ready to work with ACT Fibernet to facilitate this.”

Currently, Delhi Metro Rail is offering this service on certain routes on a pilot basis. Indian Railways had dropped its proposal to offer Wi-Fi on board moving trains because of its higher costs and poor internet connectivity.

ACT Fibernet, the Bengaluru-based broadband company, in partnership with the Telangana Government, runs 3,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots in Hyderabad as part of the Hy-Fi project launched in 2018.

Though the existing public Wi-Fi network covers the entire city, Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) Ltd CEO Bala Malladi said the company is ready to add 500 more public WiFi hotspots, if required, by 2022.

Participating in the event, IT minister K.T. Rama Rao said the possibilities are endless. “They have connected 400 government schools and Basti Dawakhanas. We are trying to know how we can help through this pandemic also, be it tertiary or primary health care,” he said.