Delhi govt in talks with private players to provide Wi-Fi in the city

Delhi government is in talks with private players and assessing various models to bring the entire national capital under Wi-Fi network in a year or two, an official said today.

Gajendra Haldea, a member of the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC), said the government should be more of an “enabler” in rolling out projects such as Wi-Fi. DDC is an advisory body to the government.

“We are in dialogue with various private players, if any model is affordable then the universal Wi-Fi can be rolled out in Delhi in a year or two,” he said at a seminar on ‘ICT Solutions for Digital and Smart Delhi’ organised by FICCI here.

Haldea also referred to the Delhi government’s plan to introduce an “universal healthcare card” in the next five months to ensure free treatment to the marginalized section of the population.

Providing free Wi-Fi across the national capital was one of the key poll promises of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). DDC vice-chairman Ashish Khetan recently announced that over 500 locations across East Delhi will be made Wi-Fi zones by the year end, allowing access to free internet till a pre-determined limit daily.

“The government’s role in this is that of an enabler, a facilitator. In order to do so, the government should engage with the private sector. Their role is critical,” he added.