MTNL customers to get Wi-Fi services at non-home spots

MUMBAI: Ailing state-owned telecom company MTNL plans to launch high speed Wi-Fi services in Mumbai and Delhi, which will provide Internet services to customers at different location, apart from their homes.

MTNL will be tying up with malls, coffee chains and food courts to provide this unlimited Wi-Fi service to its customers.

"We are planning to provide our customers Wi-Fi services at indoor locations such airports, cafes, food courts, apart from their homes. We will be offering 8 Mbps speed", MTNL Executive Director Peeyush Agarwal told reporters here over the weekend.

On the tariff side, he said a customer will have to use a line-bonding modem to avail of this service, adding that customers already using the MTNL Wi-Fi services on mobile devices will be charged an additional Rs 50-100 apart from their existing monthly rental.

He said MTNL, which operates only in Mumbai and Delhi, has already tied up with city's new terminal T2 to provide this wi-fi service and is in talks rest of the two airports for the same.

MTNL will be targeting the Mumabi and New Delhi airports and all the food courts and malls for this service.

Agarwal said an MTNL customer who uses Wi-Fi on multiple devices like laptop, mobile, personal computers and tabs at home will also have access to internet on such locations.

A customer will have to register himself at such places, and just by using his unique login id and password can have access to internet there, he added.

He said there are certain authentication process required before launching the service and as soon it gets complete, the service will be launched. MTNL has partnered with C-bot to provide this Wi-Fi service.

MTNL which currently has 6 lakh broadband customers, sees addition of another 2 lakh to its customer base once this service is launched.