STAY CONNECTED MTNL plans affordable Wi-Fi cover for Mumbai

Mumbai: MTNL is keen on launching "affordable" Wi-Fi facilities at airports, railway stations, Monorail, Metro, prominent malls, restaurants, hotels and households in a big way this year. On Friday, it launched "free roaming" (for incoming calls) in Delhi and Mumbai for nearly five lakh local customers. 

    Union minister for communication & IT Kapil Sibal, who launched the "free roing" at a function in Powai, said MTNL may be merged with BSNL soon and the synergy will be good for the country, facilitating better mobile and broadband services. He hinted that the merger was awaiting a cabinet nod. 
    "Our objective is to turn Mumbai into Wi-Fi mode in nine months," said MTNL executive director Peeyush Agrawal. "We will tie up with coffee houses, restaurants, 
hotels, food courts in malls, airports and stations. The Wi-Fi will be completely secured. We will follow all norms to ensure data protection. We plan to introduce unlimited downloads for as low as Rs 50 a month. The pricing is still being worked out," he said. 
    MTNL plans to increase the customer base by at least 2 lakh (Wi-Fi users) this year. One of the major problems faced by MTNL in Mumbai is cable theft, which has resulted in hundreds of landlines going "dead". "We have introduced a cable theft circuit system. The moment anyone cuts off or tries to steal a cable, the system activates the circuit and rings an alarm at our control room. We can nab the culprit in minutes," he said. 
    The new version of Akash 4, the cheapest tablet PC, will be manufactured this year and the price may come down to Rs 1,500 for students, Sibal said.