India launch date for Firefox phones still up in the air
India launch date for Firefox phones still up in the air
Government today begins its free Wi-Fi internet
service with New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani train. Soon 50 other trains will
get the service.
One of the
main highlights of this year's Railway Budget was the free Wi-Fi
internet service in the select trains for passangers. Almost a month
after the announcement, the Indian government will today inaugurate the
service on New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani train. About 50 other trains are
likely to get the free Wi-Fi service later this year.
Passengers will be given 4Mbps download
bandwidth and 512 Kbps upload bandwidth. The speed may be slow as
bandwidth will be shared by all the passengers on the train. According
to Nirav Dave, Managing Director, Techno Sat Comm (India) Ltd, the
company facilitating the technology, the network can prioritise traffic
in case of high demand for bandwidth.
“Critical communication applications
like email or online transactions will be given top priority. Video
downloads and gaming would be last, if there is a crunch on the
bandwidth availability,” Dave is quoted as saying.
“We had done trials with 120 passengers
simultaneously accessing different types of Internet services on a 2
Mbps bandwidth and we found that there were no issues as far as download
speeds are concerned,” he added. Access to porn sites will also be
blocked.
Passengers will be provided internet
access via two-way satellite hybrid with 2G/3G and Wi-Fi. The system
features on-board satellite tracking antenna, multiband antenna and
Wi-Fi broadcasting equipment for on-board last mile connectivity.
“The primary broadband link to back haul
the internet traffic is established via satellite and in the event of
non-availability of satellite the multi-access router automatically
switches from satellite to 2G/3G links to achieve 99 per cent
connectivity. The satellite antenna is placed in one of the two power
cars of the rake. This is linked through Wi-Fi radios provided outside
of each coach. This is further distributed inside the coaches through
indoor access point,” says a Hindu Businessline report.
The technology also ensures authentic
usage of the free Wi-Fi services. According to the Hindu report, a
detail login system has been put in place. To access the service, users
will have to enter their mobile phone number, PNR number and IDs such as
Aadhar card or voter ID cards. After entering the details, a unique
password is sent via SMS on the mobile.
The new Wi-Fi service is definitely a
welcome move as it allows passengers, including young students,
professionals and others, to stay connected to the web even when
travelling. Moreover, it will reduce dependency on telecom operators for
staying connected.
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