India get its first beach with free public Wi-Fi
Visitors to Malpe beach in the southern Indian district of Karnataka will now be able to surf the Internet along with the waves thanks to a free public Wi-Fi network set up by the Indian government.
This makes it India's first beach to get free public Wi-Fi. The Internet service is being provided by the state-run telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) and supported by the Indian government.
Situated in the Udupi district in southern Karnataka, Malpe's golden sand beach attracts a large number of tourists. Visitors will be be able to access the Wi-Fi network round-the-clock, but the free service lasts for only for 30 minutes. This duration will be extended later.
As part of its Digital India initiative, the Indian government recently announced plans to install 2,500 Wi-Fi hotspots at 256 locations by the next fiscal year with the help of BSNL. The move, the government hopes, will help take India's Internet subscriber base from 400 million to 500 million users by March next year.
Google has also partnered with Indian Railways to set up Wi-Fi services at 100 major train stations across the country by the end of 2016.
