By Apurva Bhatt
Soon you can use internet through wi-fi at Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus station.
The Wi-Fi facility is to be provided at 75 A1 category stations within a period of 12 months. On trial basis, the facility is to be launched 10 stations as part of pilot project.
A senior CR officials said, "The physical infrastructure for starting the wi-fi facility has is ready. Railtel, which has outsourced the work to an service-provider firm, is expected to make this service go live as soon as the paper work is completed."
The terms and conditions for using this service is yet to be declared but source said that it will be more or less similar to the one at New Delhi railway station, where passengers can use this faclilty free of cost for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the passenger will have to pay charges through pre-pair cards.
At New Delhi, these cards are priced at Rs.25 for 30 minutes and Rs.35 for 1 Hour and are valid through 24 hours. Passengers can use this facility by registering through their mobile number, which will help generate one-time password (OTP). Railway officials are divided on the need for such facility in a city like Mumbai, where stations witness huge footfalls.
A senior railway official said, "We plan station design with an aim to ensure faster disperal of commuters. When wi-fi is provided free of cost, there will people flocking and waiting at the station just to avail the free wi-fi facility."
However, commuters have welcome the decision. Dheeraj Khot, a commuter said, "The signal of many mobile service providers for 3G network is poor at many stations. It is good that wi-fi facility is being set-up so that people can have uninterrupted network with good speed."
