RailTel To Continue Free Wi-Fi At Stations After Google Stops Service

Google recently announced that it would be ending the Google Station program in India. The program provided free public internet access in a tie-up with RailTel to nearly 400 railway stations that were considered to be the busiest in the country. Although Google is stopping the service, RailTel announced that it would continue it.

RailTel To Provide Free Wi-Fi

RailTel posted a press release on its official Twitter handle that announced the free Wi-Fi service to continue at 415 stations, even after the contract period with Google expires in May 2020. RailTel, a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways, posted the tweet in the context of Google announcing its exit from the Railway Wi-Fi program.

According to the post, the partnership between Google and RailTel was signed for five years where free public internet was provided in 415 A1, A, C category stations only. "In this partnership, Google provided the Radio Access Network (RAN) and Technology support and RailTel provided the physical Infrastructure and Internet bandwidth," the statement confirms.

pic.twitter.com/gVUsxy8xJm

— RailTel (@RailTel) February 17, 2020

However, RailTel will continue to provide uninterrupted Wi-Fi service, with the same speed and network quality, to passengers at these 415 stations after May 2020, the company notes. The statement also says that going forward, free Wi-Fi in 5,190+ B, C, and D stations will be provided.

RaiTel To Continue Digitization

"We have roped in a number of partners along the journey and currently RailTel is providing free Wi-Fi at 5,600+ stations across the country," reads the statement. When Google announced the end of the service, it cited that Indian telcos offer cheap and accessible mobile data, which makes the free Wi-Fi service obsolete.

RailTel has also assured passengers that they wouldn't face any hardships post-May 2020 and its effort in transforming railway stations into platforms for digital inclusion will continue. The company would also continue to execute Wi-Fi connectivity at the balance stations as well.