Tata Docomo Partners with AAI to Launch Public Wi-Fi Connectivity at Goa Airport

Travelers at Goa Airport which is one of top 10 busiest airports in India can now avail free high speed Wi-Fi access for 30 minutes

Tata Docomo, announced an exclusive partnership with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to deliver high-speed public Wi-Fi services at Dabolim International Airport, Goa.  The service, which was officially unveiled by Sri Laxmikant Parsekar, Chief Minister, validates the growing reliance of internet services among travelers.

Inaugurating the WiFi service at the airport, Chief Minister Sri Laxmikant Parsekar said, “The Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India has taken wings. We’ve seen a tremendous growth in adoption of public Wi-Fi services. We hope that these services are able to connect more users so that the true potential of internet can be realized for the benefit of the end user. ”

Through the partnership, Wi-Fi services will be made available to passengers free of charge in the transit and lounge areas of the airport for 30 minutes, after which time passengers can continue to avail the service by paying for it online.

Commenting on this announcement, KS Rao, Director - Dabolim International Airport, Goa said, “Goa attracts thousands of domestic and international travelers every year. The airport has seen a significant increase in the air traffic in the last few years. Providing world-class Wi-Fi services at the Goa International Airport will enhance the traveler experience. Partnering with Tata Docomo to provide high-speed Wi-Fi services at the Goa International Airport guarantees customer delight at one of the busiest airports in the country.”

Sunil Tandon, Head – Non Voice Services, Tata Teleservices Limited elaborated upon the growing popularity of public Wi-Fi services by millennials. “For India’s millennials, mobile devices have become the number one information source for receiving and sharing everything from current affairs to celebrity gossip; and public spaces have become fundamental to this trend. Visitors at shopping centers, railway stations, sports stadiums and other public spaces consider Wi-Fi access in the same way as air-conditioning or lighting; simply a given; and airline passengers are no exception,” he said.

He further added, “Travelers have their own ‘Magic Hour’ which they use to check mails, access flight information, browse the web and send messages prior to boarding their flight. This is the reason airports require public Wi-Fi services. We are proud to partner with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to provide a great experience to the large number of passengers frequenting Goa.”

According to SITA’s global research, air passengers are becoming increasingly reliant on social media throughout their journey:

• Just over four in five passengers carry a smartphone and 76% of them use airline apps, 43% say it’s made a definite improvement to their travel
• Provision of airport Wi-Fi represents a top three priority for passengers (after price comparison services and real time flight information)
• 45% would use their connected device to purchase food and drinks or browse a virtual duty-free shop while waiting to board
• By 2016, airport status notifications and flight status updates will be provided on social media by 75% of airports, while 70% will offer customer relations.

Tata Docomo’s Wi-Fi credentials:

This partnership reflects Tata Docomo’s commitment and experience in the provision of Wi-Fi services in public spaces across India, most recently at Delhi’s Connaught Place which was unveiled earlier.

Supported by the company’s wholly-owned national fiber backbone, Tata Docomo is India’s leading provider of Wi-Fi services, delivering complete Wi-Fi connectivity to a number of public spaces, commercial premises including country’s leading hotels, premium retail café chains and India’s top airports.  Tata DoCoMo’s Wi-Fi provisioning has also assisted in connecting some of India’s most emblematic public spaces.

In addition to infrastructure, Tata Docomo delivers support services, security and a range of revenue models and value-added services to support these Wi-Fi zones. The company plans to set up Wi-Fi hotspots in major cities across the country over the next two years in anticipation of the exponential growth of internet usage on the back of year-on-year doubling of smart devices in India.