Visitors to Connaught Place (CP) and Khan Market will no longer need their mobile data plans once they are in the area as the much-awaited wi-fi service is set to be flagged off on Sunday. The wi-fi facility shall be available to users free of cost for the first 15 minutes per day after which it shall be payable.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) along with several mobile operators like Vodafone and Tata Docomo is currently running trial runs in the two markets. “All the installations and pre-requisites for creating the wi-fi hotspots have been done in CP. Trial runs are being carried out to identify any loophole. The facility will be open to public July 13 onwards,” said a senior NDMC official. To use the wi-fi service, the user will have to fill in details such as e-mail ID and mobile number. After that, a one-time password (OTP) will be received to connect to the internet.
Beyond 15 minutes of usage, the user will get a popup on his/her screen saying the free data limit is over and any further usage shall be chargeable. “To access the internet through the payable wi-fi service, the person will have to do an online payment instantly. The pop-ups will guide the user through the entire process. As off now, we are limiting the payable service only to those who are engaged in online transactions. For later, we are planning to install booths where a top-up could be done. The charges shall be around `2.5 per 100 kb,” added the official.
The posh Khan Market too will be open to public on the same day. While shops on the ground floor are expected to benefit the most out of the service, now the Khan Market Traders Association (KMTA) has written to the civic agency and the mobile operators to get the facility extended to the first floors as well. “In Khan Market 25 spots will be wi-fi hotspots. Installation of boxes to create the wi-fi zones began from Tuesday. We are writing to the concerned people to provide the facility even on the first floors. This will give wireless internet service to the restaurants which are mostly located on the first floors,” said Sanjiv Mehra, President, KMTA. Vodafone and Airtel have come together in Khan Market to provide a super fast 4G network.