Telecom operator BSNL will now invest Rs 7,000 crore in setting up Wi-Fi hotspots integrated with 3G, 4G networks across the country over the next two to three years, a top company official said.
“Wi-Fi is an obvious choice for BSNL going forward but it alone cannot be successful. It has to be integrated with 3G, 4G network so that customer can be seamlessly transferred to Wi-Fi. In two to three years, we will be investing Rs 7,000 crore to set up integrated Wi-Fi across the country,” chairman and managing director of BSNL Anupam Shrivatava said while speaking at TeleAnalysis event here.
The company has already rolled out Wi-Fi service in Varanasi and will be extending it to more tourist spots by the end of this year.
“By end of this financial year, we will have 2,500 Wi-Fi hotpsots,” Shrivatava said.
In addition to this, BSNL has also partnered with QuadGen Wireless for setting up Wi-Fi hotspots under a revenue share model.
“BSNL is in best position to provide instant bandwidth. We will set up Wi-Fi hotspots and BSNL will provide bandwidth for it. We are committed to set up 1,000 Wi-Fi hotspots by June and another 5,000 by end of this year,” QuadGen Wireless founder and chairman CS Rao said.
QuadGen will set up Wi-Fi hotspots in South and West zone under this partnership.
