BSNL set to connect 2000 cities with Wi-Fi

State-owned telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam plans to connect over 2,000 cities with Wi-Fi internet soon. The telco will create Wi-Fi connectivity in major markets and congregation hubs as the company expands its base in partnership with QuadGen Wireless.

The Wi-Fi service will be provided free for the first 15-minute, a post which users will be asked to select a plan that ranges from Rs 30 for half an hour of usage to Rs 200 for a month. The service is expected to deliver speeds up to 20 Mbps.

“On one hand, we have mobile networks that are completely clogged and on the other hand, we have this enormous backhaul capacity lying idle with BSNL that can be used to offer high internet at low cost. The Wi-Fi service will allow not only BSNL customers to connect to the internet but anyone who has a smartphone,” CS Rao, Founder and Chairman, QuadGen said.

QuadGen is also testing out mobile data offload using the same service, which will allow any BSNL customer to automatically switch to Wi-Fi when they enter a hotspot.

QuadGen, which recently received a Series A funding from IndusAge Partners, entered India in an exclusive partnership with BSNL on a build, own, operate and revenue shares basis for seven years.

The company has already set up 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across 104 cities for BSNL and with new fund infusion, expects to cross 2,000 towns in the next 2-3 years.