Where's the free Wi-Fi?

HYDERABAD: The ambitious 'free Wi-Fi' launched by the Telangana government in Hi-Tec City in association with a private service provider in October last year appears to have been a mere publicity gimmick. Residents and professionals in the IT hub rue that the initiative has fallen flat, with several connectivity issues experienced in the hotspot areas.
The government launched free Wi-Fi spots at 17 locations in that part of town last year. These spots covered areas between Cyber Towers and Madhapur police station, Cyber Towers and Kothaguda junction and Cyber Towers and Raheja Mindspace.
During its launch, the government had assured services of up to 750 megabytes per day per user. However, in areas surrounding Cyber Towers, the network of 'AirtelWifiZone' (the service was launched in association with Airtel) remains either untraceable or has connectivity issues.
"Networks of hotels Avasa and Trident are visible. However, Wi-Fi provided by the government does not appear on the list," said V Manikanta, an engineer working in a multinational company. For those who could find the network on their list, the message 'unable to join the network AirtelWifiZone' was not uncommon.
While the service is meant to promote greater digital inclusion in the IT hub, the Wi-Fi network barely covers the assured areas. For example, the network between Cyber Towers and Madhapur police station is inaccessible around Hotel Avasa and Broadridge, a finance company, hardly 200 meters away from Cyber Towers.
Similar issues were experienced by this correspondent during a quick check at the Kothaguda junction, from where IT companies such as Google and HCL Technologies function. "I travel on the Kothaguda-Punjagutta route quite regularly. I never get the 'AirtelWifiZone' on my network list while I am waiting at the bus stop," said Pankaj Balaraju, an IT employee.
During the launch, the government had assured a speed of 40 mbps. But, people residing in the hotspot areas say that even when they get the connection, they can barely open a browser. "The speed is so slow that I can hardly open a webpage. My 3G connection works better than the free Wi-Fi," said Nancy Mridula, a trainee pilot.
While the government estimates had projected that an average of 40,000 commuters, commercial establishments and visitors would benefit from the service, the lack of information about the facility has left many clueless. "We have been living near Cyber Towers for the past eight months. However, we never knew that the area has free Wi-Fi. Had there been a board displaying ' Free Wi-Fi Zone', as seen in hotels and coffee shops, we would have used it in our hostel," said a student of National Institute of Fashion Technology.
When TOI contacted the IT department, officials dismissed all issues and laid the responsibility on the shoulders of the service provider even as they called it a "private initiative". "We are aware that the Wi-Fi being offered in the Hi-Tec area is not meeting the service level standards. But since it was a private initiative, the government has no role to play," claimed Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, information technology. In fact, he asserted that the new Digital Telangana initiative will ensure that the IT hub will remain hassle-free in terms of internet connectivity.