Gadag becomes Karnataka's first fully WiFi-enabled city

Gadag, Mar 17: Gadag city on Wednesday took a big step towards becoming the first in the State to offer Free Wi-Fi facility to people with the commissioning of as many as 10 hotspots to begin with.

Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa dedicated the hotspot facility at a programme at the District Stadium here on Wednesday. District in-charge Minister H.K. Patil was present.

Following an initiative taken by Mr. Patil, the district administration and the Gadag Betageri Urban Development Authority, (which is sponsoring the Wi-Fi facility), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is offering high speed Wi-Fi services at important locations in Gadag Betageri free to the general public.

In the first phase, 25 hotspot locations have been chosen, including the industrial estate, zoo, major colleges, new and old bus stations, Deputy Commissioner's office, new court complex.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Patil said: “The new generation, mainly the student community, is dependent on mobile phones and laptops and Internet facility for several works and studies. Offering free Wi-Fi service is an initiative aimed at reaching out to the younger generation. We hope that they make the best use of the facility.”

Under the facility, an individual user will get up to 2 mbps speed and 200 MB each day with each access point supporting up to 300 to 400 users. All social websites such as Facebook and YouTube can be accessed.

General Manager of BSNL, Dharwad Telecom District, Vivek Jaiswal, and Deputy General Manager (Marketing) V.M. Kanakeri hoped that the free Wi-Fi services will increase people's participation in governance.