The Taj Mahal, India’s most popular tourist attraction will soon get Wi-Fi access starting June 16, according to a Business Standard report. State-run telecom operator BSNL will install 21 Wi-Fi hotspots that will provide tourists 30 minutes of free usage time.
BSNL had previously rolled out free Wi-Fi in the ghats of Varanasi in February this year, with paid subscription plans at starting at Rs 20 for 30 additional minutes of usage, going upto Rs 70 for a full day of usage.
The rollout is a part of the Union government’s plan to provide free Wi-Fi access at Sarnath and Bodh Gaya, IANS quoted Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as saying in May. A total of 25 archeological sites across India will be getting free Wi-Fi access, including Red Fort, Qutub Complex, Fatehpur Sikri, Konark Temple and Khajuraho.
The government is planning to invest Rs 7,000 crore over the next three years to roll out free Wi-Fi in major cities and tourists destinations, BSNL CMD Anupam Srivastava said was quoted as saying by PTI. Hyderabad became the first city in South India to roll out free Wi-Fi in April this year, where users are allowed to access free Wi-Fi for 30 minutes, three times a month.
According to a recent PTI news report, the Aam Aadmi Party government plans to roll out free-Wi-Fi across Delhi by the end of February 2016. Users will be allowed 50 MB of free Wi-Fi at a minimum of 512 Kbps speeds. The report quoted senior officials as saying that high bandwidth applications like video streaming and downloads will be restricted.
The Taj Mahal emerged as the most popular Asian destination on Google Street View this year.
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