Wipro along with Sistema Shyam Teleservices will bring Wi-Fi in company buses in Bangalore to help its 1,46,000 IT employees in the state. This will help the staff make better use of their commuting time, thus increasing their productivity. According to an Economic Times Report, Wipro chairman Azim Premji is currently discussing the possibility of implementing Wi-Fi connectivity in staff buses with Sistema Shyam Teleservices. The pilot project is currently in exploratory stage under which Sistema Shyam will reportedly install Wi-Fi connectivity in around 100 company buses. If successful, the project might be extended to other locations.
Majority of Wipro employees are believed to commute via staff buses. Many of them believe that offering free Wi-Wi in staff buses cannot replace a working environment. “Even with high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, it’s virtually impossible to do critical coding, web services or testing as these functions require back-up logistical support like access to web servers, database servers, a coding repository and embedded devices, which are unlikely to be available inside a bus.” a Bangalore-based employee was quoted by ET as saying. Meanwhile, Bangalore has become the first Indian city to offer free Wi-Fi hotspots to its citizens via Namma Wi-Fi (802.11n). Citizens can connect to internet seamlessly when they are around M G Road and Brigade Road, at Shantinagar or Yeshwantpur bus terminals and at Indiranagar. Also, ailing state-owned telecom company MTNL is planning to tie up with malls, coffee chains and food courts in Mumbai and Delhi to launch high speed Wi-Fi services at public places. MTNL will provide Internet services to customers at locations apart from their homes in the process. MTNL has partnered with C-Dot to provide this Wi-Fi service. A customer will have to use a line-bonding modem to avail of this service while customers already using the MTNL Wi-Fi services on their mobile phones will be charged an additional Rs 50-100 apart from their existing monthly rental. Meanwhile, MTNL customers who use Wi-Fi on multiple devices like laptop, mobile, personal computers and tabs at home will also have access to internet on such locations. A registration at such places will let users access internet using a unique login ID and password.
