Google’s Free Wifi Service Across Railway Stations Starts Today in Mumbai...!!

Passenger at Mumbai Central will be the first benefactors of Google’s WiFi hotspot project which seeks to provide high speed internet connectivity across 407 railway stations across India. The internet speed according to Google CEO’s own words will be “faster” than what many Indians could access today. The high speed of the internet could be availed by users at Mumbai central to do anything from downloading a book to streaming a video.

Google’s projects is built on the existing pan-Indian network of Optical Fibre built by RailTel a Miniratna PSU which is one of the largest telecom infrastructure provider of India, who have laid close to 45000 RKMs of fiber network connecting close to 60 % of India’s population with more emphasis on rural areas.

The project is expected to be completed in phases, 100 busiest stations in 2016 and the remaining in consecutive years. The project was an outcome of Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The project is symbolic of Sundar Pichai’s support for Digital India initiative of Mr Narendra Modi. The association and the camaderie exhibited among silicon valley CEO’s and Mr Narendra Modi was much looked upto and admired.

There is caveat though on the Google Hotspot project, while the access to internet through the hotspots is going to be free, Mr Sundar Pichai did mention the project will eventually have to be self sustainable which would mean the access to internet through the hotspots will eventually be monetised. Monetised or not, there is all to look forward to, a billion people connected through high end telecom infrastructure will provide a billion more possibilities for a better future.

In the interest of Inclusive development we can only hope, the day it is monetised, the price will be such that all Indians could afford it.

A partnership between Google and Indian Railways will see high-speed Wi-Fi deployed at 400 railway stations across the country, making this the largest public Wi-Fi project in India. While the first 100 stations are already preparing to go online before the end of 2016.

The Google RailWire public Wi-Fi service will be accessible by Wi-Fi enabled mobiles. The emailed statement details the process of logging onto the network.

How to log in to Google and Railwire's free public Wi-Fi:

1) Users will have to visit the Wi-Fi Settings of their smartphone, and select the RailWire network.

2) Users then have to open their mobile browser, and then navigate to railwire.co.in. 

3) On the RailWire website, users will be prompted to their phone number on the Wi-Fi login screen, and then press Receive SMS. 

4) Users will receive an SMS message with a 4-digit OTP (one-time password) code, and they will then have to enter the code at the Wi-Fi login screen, and click Done. 

5) Users will then be shown a checkmark, which confirms they are connected to the free Wi-Fi.