State Run Rail Tel Corp. of India Ltd. is exploring the option of charging passengers for using public Wi-Fi services at railway stations, ahead of its ₹700-crore initial public offering (IPO) slated for early next year, a person aware of the matter said. While customers can use low speed internet for free, those seeking higher download speeds will have to pay according to the plan they choose, the person said, requesting anonymity. RailTel has so far set up public Wi-Fi hotspots at 5,848 railway stations. After a pause following the pandemic, the company resumed work to install networks and infrastructure at more stations.
RailTel saw an uptrend in user interest for Wi-Fi services at railway stations. The project, which was stalled for a few months due to curbs on the movement of equipment and manpower during the lockdown, seems to have done fairly well, considering that similar public Wi-Fi initiatives by private technology giants Facebook Inc. and Google LLC have failed to take off. Earlier this year, the search giant discontinued its Google Station initiative launched in 2015 to provide free Wi-Fi at over 400 railway stations in India, saying cheaper mobile data had made the business untenable. While Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi is operational, the response to the project has been tepid.
Courtesyg: Google (photo)
