Get Wi-Fi for free in Bangalore

Bangalore: Next time you are on MG Road, you can browse for three hours free of cost. The much-awaited free wifi service, Namma Wi-Fi, was launched by the department of In­fo­rm­ation Technology, Bio­tec­hnology, and Science and Tec­hn­ology, on Friday. Us­ers can now log on to free in­ternet in the wifi hot­spots in Bri­gade Road, MG Road, CMH Road and Sha­ntinagar, Yes­hw­­antpur and Kor­ama­ngala bus statio­ns.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion of the la­un­ch, minister of IT&BT S.R. Patil, said, “Free wi-fi used to be available only at star hotels and other privately-run places, but for the first time, free wi-fi will be ­available in pu­blic places.

The wi-fi can be accessed on laptops, ta­ble­ts and mobile phones. With a speed of up to 512 kbps, each user can browse up to three hours or 50 MB data. More than 2,000 people can use free internet at once on MG Road and Bri­gade Road.”

As many as 23 access poi­nts have been provided in th­ese two areas, each having the capacity to handle 100 users at a time. City-based internet service provider D-VoIS Bro­ad­b­and Pvt Ltd has introduced the service free of cost. Ramesh S of D-VoIS, said, “The facility can be utilised by youngsters who are always on the internet.

They need free Internet and they spend hours on MG Road. They can make the most of this service.” He added that the service will be improved in the lat­er phase if there are more users and the speed dec­reases.

Apart from browsing, users can log on to mobile governance portals that will take them to BWSSB, BangaloreOne, Kar­na­tak­aOne and Sakala, among ot­her applications. Also, certain websites are ban­ned and the user service will be monitored, Ra­mesh added.

In the second phase, the government plans to introduce ‘Namma Wi-Fi’ in 10 other areas. Soon after, ‘Namma Wi-Fi’ will be ava­ilable in Tier-II Cities like My­sore, Mangalore, and Gulbarga, enabling free wi-fi in 23 places across the st­ate. Users can call the toll free number 1800 123 9636 to register complaints.

How to access? First time users need to connect to ‘IonNammaWiFi’ in the wi-fi areas and enter your mobile number and register. Soon, you will receive one-time password and the password will enable free internet access

Next: Wi-fi fails on Day 1

Wi-fi fails on Day 1

Not only was the speed very slow, but users could not access the free wi-fi on MG Road and Koramangala bus station. The wi-fi connected but none of the websites or applications opened.

‘Starting trouble’ see­med to have hit the much-awaited free Wi-Fi service, which IT minister S.R. Patil ina­u­gurated at the M.G. Road Metro station on Friday.

Neit­her on M.G. Road nor at the Koramangala BMTC complex — two of the six locations where the service began — could eager users connect to the ‘I-ON Namma Wi-Fi’ service. The ‘log on’ page simply did not show up. When it starts working though, there is the promise of some exciting apps of public utility — such as an app to find and book parking slots in these locations.