BSNL to invest Rs 6k crore to set up wi-fi hotspots pan-India

NEW DELHI: State-run telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) will invest Rs 6,000 crore over the next three years to set up some 40,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country.

"We are now thinking of rolling out Wi-Fi hotspot through capital expenditure model also. We are in the process of having our tender ready. We will be floating our tender and put our own equipment. We will be doing everything,” Shrivastava told a news agency.

Earlier in an interview with Voice&Data, Shrivastava has said that Wi-Fi will be a real game-change for BSNL and it will start making profits by 2018.

He said: "Initially, we are thinking of putting in 2,500 wi-fi hotspots next year and at least we will be covering 25 cities and it can cross 50 also. But at the same time, we believe putting in wi-fi hotspots will not help much as it is important to integrate the wi-fi hotspots with our mobile network and that’s the key for a successful wi-fi mechanism."

In south and west, the company has already identified a company that will be rolling out wi-fi hotspots. In the north and east, EoIs are out and soon the wi-fi hotspots will be rolled out.

The company has already rolled out Wi-Fi hotspots in 70-75 locations in the country. But the company has roped in private players for the majority of the work.