Chennai airport is once again wi-fi-enabled. While passengers with laptops can use 20 minutes of Internet free of cost, they are also provided with computer kiosks where they can use Internet free of cost for seven minutes.

“We have re-launched the wi-fi facility at the airport. The passengers can now use Internet free of cost for 20 minutes and pay for the remaining period,” said Chennai airport director E.P. Hareendranathan.
Further, Airports Authority of India has also set up Internet kiosks inside the airport in partnership with Novatium.

“Till date, eight Internet kiosks have been set up at the airport with four each at the domestic and international terminals,” he added.

While one kiosk has been set up at the pre-security area, the remaining three have been placed inside the security hold area in the domestic terminal. In the international terminal, the kiosks are in the check-in, pre-security and inside security hold areas.

Mr Hareendranathan said the passengers could access wi-fi by first selecting the network of the service provider in their laptop and sharing their mobile number.

“The service provider will send a password to the mobile and he or she can activate the wi-fi using the Internet,” he added.

In 2005, then Union communication and information technology minister Dayanidhi Maran launc-
hed wi-fi services at the airport in partnership with BSNL which later found it unviable to pay the licensing fee to the airport. Similarly, Tata Telecommunications also found the licensing fee unviable.
“Now, we have inducted this service again in a tie-up with Tata Telecommunications in a revenue-sharing model,” he added.