The Telangana state government is set to invite bids from telecom companies by end-September 2014, to set up infrastructure for Wi-Fi access network across the Hyderabad city. At present, the government is in the process of finalising the modalities and requirements for the companies. Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices have reportedly shown interest in this project.
Currently, Wi-Fi services are offered in some areas of the city by several establishments but the government aims to ensure Wi-Fi coverage across the entire city. The consumers will be able to access this service free of cost, for a limited time or bandwidth, after which they may have to enter into a purchase agreement with the service provider. The revenue model of the companies is expected to be decided soon.
The state government is also exploring the use of WhiteFi technology to provide internet communication access across the city. WhiteFi is a an upcoming technology that uses available spectrum in the unused television spectrum of TV white space and is reported to have lower overhead costs than traditional Wi-Fi.
