Delhi to go Wi-Fi

New Delhi, Oct 19

New Delhi will be soon joining Bangalore and Pune on the
Wi-Fi meshed network, with the government of Delhi planning to install Wi-Fi
zones in the capital city.

The Wi-Fi zones are to be established through private-public
partnership (PPP) model.

According to government officials, the government of NCT,
Delhi sees the Wi-Fi zones as a large step in providing Internet connectivity
that would propel quicker adoption of the e-governance interfaces of the
government.

"Such connectivity would facilitate speedier and secure
business transaction, knowledge and information dissemination, hassle-free
interaction among citizen, business and government. The establishment of Wi-Fi
zones through PPP would leverage broadband availability in shops, marketplaces,
offices etc," source said

Initially, the Government of NCT, Delhi, has notified three
hot zones for Wi-Fi access coverage.

"The Delhi government is in the process of identifying
technology providers to create meshed Wi-Fi zones in Rajiv Chowk area, popularly
called as Connaught Place, South Extension I and II and Nehru Place. The
potential benefit from this includes easier access to Internet services thereby
increasing the ease of communications on the move and availability of
information in the said zone," the official said.

The private partner will be entrusted with designing,
implementing and operating the Internet access using Wi-Fi hot zone outdoor
infrastructure, and to provide high-speed wireless Internet access to citizen
and tourists - Wi-Fi enable laptops and personal digital assistance (PDA). The
private firm will have to undertake implemen-tation, integration and
commissioning of Wi-Fi zones. The company will have to create kiosks at various
places for citizen to access Internet, and will also have maintainence and offer
technical support for the next three years.

The government will ensure that the local point of presence
for providing assistance to tourists and other end-users supports the network
and to configure their devices.

"In future these points of presence may evolve tourist
help centers and provide additional value-added services. However, the
implementing partner shall have to specify the value-added services that will be
provided through these centers. The Wi-Fi vendor/ vendor partner must guarantee
the complete equipment delivery, implementation, integration and commissioning
not later than three months from the award of contract," the official said.

Though only three zones have been notified, the officials
said that private partner would not get the exclusive rights to replicate the
similar set-up in other parts of Delhi.

Interestingly, the government of NCT of Delhi will not offer
subsidy of any kind to the vendor for meeting the cost of setting up Wi-Fi mesh
zone.

For this purpose, the state government will form a project
management group having representatives of Delhi Government's IT department,
consortium, NDMC, tourism, power department and its agencies (NDPL), DDA, MCD
for smooth implementation of the Wi-Fi hot spots.