Cisco Joins Google to Launch Free Public Wi-Fi in India

Kochi: In a bid to benefit millions of Internet users and connect the next billion users, global networking giant Cisco has teamed up with Google to roll out free, high-speed public Wi-Fi access globally, starting with India.

The first pilot under the partnership has been rolled out at 35 locations in Bengaluru, Cisco said here on Monday, adding that it will work with Google’s “Station Platform” to provide communities around the country access to high-speed public Wi-Fi. By September this year, 200 locations in Bengaluru will be Wi-Fi enabled, followed by another 300 in the second phase, the two technology giants said at the “Cisco India Summit” here. The locations include public spaces like bus stops, hospitals, and government offices, etc. Google said that it was committed to making the service secure.

“It will run on https environment – the same environment in which you do online banking transactions,” Sajith Sivanandan, managing director and business head, Google Pay and “Next Billion User Initiatives”, India, told reporters here. “The service will be supported by advertisements. We will think of more products to make the service commercially available”. (IANS)

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