You can now log on to a free Wi-Fi facility while strolling on the historic Ridge, Shimla’s most famous promenade. The Shimla Municipal Corporation, as a pilot project, on Sunday launched this facility for residents as well as tourists, Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar told IANS. Also Read - Trains to get Wi-Fi internet service in India, says Railway Minister Piyush Goyal
The facility, which can be accessed from Scandal Point to the Anglican Christ Church, will be available till June 7, he said. To avail of the service, people need to register their mobile numbers, and a passkey will be sent. Also Read - Free Wi-Fi now available at 1,000 Indian Railway stations
The facility can be used by each user for two hours every day and the speed would be 1 Mbps with data storage of 7 GB. The free Wi-Fi service will cover some parts of Mall Road, which was once a ‘British only’ street for strolling. Seven routers (access points) have been installed to provide Wi-Fi service and the range of each router would be approximately 150 meters. Also Read - New Wi-Fi chipset bug puts iOS, Android devices at hacking risk
Users are also requested to give their feedback about the facility on the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s Facebook page. The state capital remains chock-a-block with tourists, especially during the peak tourist seasons – May-June and November-January.
According to tourism industry representatives, Shimla gets 20,000 to 30,000 tourists on an average every weekend during the peak season.