The Google Station program, the free WiFi service from the company offering high-speed internet access across select railway stations is now moving towards cities. Google in partnership with Larsen & Toubro, announced that the company would bring 150 Google Station hotspots to Pune. The development is part of the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited’s Smart City project.
Initially launched as part of RailTel WiFi Project, the service is currently available at over 270 railway stations in the country and is now set to expand it to smart cities as well. Google said that over 7.7 million users have benefited from its 270 RailTel WiFi hotspots which will be hitting over 400 by the year-end.
In a statement, Google said that potentially, 3 million Pune citizens would be able to access the internet for free across various locations in the city.
Vinay Goel, Product Management Director, Google Station said: “We built Google Station to be both the highest-quality and simplest Wi-Fi service for users and the easiest for partners to deploy — and we think this makes Google Station a great connectivity partner for the growing number of Indian smart cities. We’re looking forward to helping people in Pune get fast and reliable access to everything the internet has to offer.”
The free public Wifi service will be available at public places like gardens, hospitals and police stations. The company notes that users will be able to get online within seconds and message friends, pay bills, shop online, experience improved tracking of public buses and watch music videos.
Google added that though public WiFi alone cannot make a city smart, but a reliable internet connection across multiple central locations will help people use their smartphones to make the most out of Pune’s smart city services.
In case you are a Pune resident and want to use the service, you just need to turn on Wifi and connect to ‘Pune WiFi’ network. You will have to verify your phone number using OTP method before using this free hotspot service.
Google said it would be deploying high-speed Wi-Fi at more stations across the country. Stay tuned for more updates.
