Kolkata to become fully wi-fi-enabled city

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that Kolkata will become the country’s first fully Wi-Fi enabled metro city in the next two to three months.

As a first step, the iconic Park Street will become wi-fi enabled from February, Banerjee said at the inauguration program of the 39th International Kolkata Book Fair. The service will then roll out in a phased manner across 144 municipal wards. The whole city is expected to come under Wi-Fi coverage by Bengali New Year in mid-April.

The WiFi would initially be offered free during the trial period by private service provider Reliance Jio. Later, the free time may be reduced to 30 minutes in a day or even less as price packages are introduced. The service is believed to be offered free-of-cost to ministers, bureaucrats and police.

However, cellular operators are skeptical about the feasibility and business viability in a city like Kolkata where less than 1 lakh persons have 4G handsets and the average disposable income is low.