The world’s first Google Station Wi-Fi hotspot will be set up in Pune

Image: Google

By tech2 News Staff /  09 Feb 2017 , 14:53

It’s official, India will be the first country in the world where Google will deploy Google Station. It’s a fast Wi-Fi initiative that aims to bring high-speed internet access to public areas.

While India is the lucky country to get the station, the lucky city where the service will first be deployed in Pune. Google Station is a collaborative project between IBM, Larsen and Toubro and RailTel.

It’s a Rs 150 crore project that’s won by these companies as part of Pune’s Smart City initiative, reports The Economic Times.

Unlike Google’s earlier Railwire project with RailTel, the purpose of Google Station is to provide fast access to the internet in public areas and then eventually monetise the whole system. The smart city council will take a share of this revenue.

As with Railwire, Google will primarily provide the platform support required to integrate Wi-Fi access across a multitude of locations with a single sign-on process. Users will simply need to authenticate via OTP.

L&T is reportedly the ‘master system integrator’ for the project and will provide much of the infrastructure required.

Public call boxes, PA systems, environmental sensors and more will be integrated into the system.

ET reports that Google is working with the Pune government for the deployment of variable messaging displays as well.

IBM’s solutions will provide the “backbone” for Pune’s Smart City Network, the report adds.

Free Wi-Fi access made available on Delhi metro Aiport Express line

Image: Indian Express

  14 Oct 2016 , 18:35

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday inaugurated free Wi-Fi service on its Airport Express line at the Shivaji Stadium metro station here.

The free Wi-Fi service will be provided to all commuters throughout the 22.7-km length of the Airport Express line which has six stations in all. DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh inaugurated the Wi-Fi facility which is labelled “Oui DMRC Free Wi-Fi”.

To use the facility, commuters will have to search for Wi-Fi connections on their phone and select “Oui DMRC Free Wi-Fi” from among those available. “Oui” is a French word which means “yes”.

For the facility, DMRC tied up with Techno Sat Comm which presently runs India’s first Wi-Fi on train service on the Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express.

“We have entered an alliance with DMRC to provide internet connectivity across their whole rail network. It is likely to be completed by some time next year,” Amit Mohan, Assistant Vice President of Software and Mobile App, Techno Sat Comm, told IANS.

“We are providing a speed of 2 mb per second, which may go as high as 50 mb per second. It is very good speed, one can download a movie within minutes,” he said. 

Recently Google announced its new Stations platform to provide support for free Wi-Fi across public places and shops in the country.

IANS