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Pay for tea, get Wi-Fi free
It was only an assurance to Indian population providing free Wi-Fi services in select cities where population of over 10 lakh exist, but even small tea stalls in Nellore city also are providing such facility for its customers free of cost.
Customers as soon as they enter the premises get an indication on their mobiles or pads that Wi–Fi is available and they can connect to the service
Nellore: It was only an assurance to Indian population providing free Wi-Fi services in select cities where population of over 10 lakh exist, but even small tea stalls in Nellore city also are providing such facility for its customers free of cost.
It has become a big attraction for youngsters who naturally are tech savvy at this modern age and they have been enjoying in selected stalls in the city limits. Such stalls are displaying the emblem of Wi-Fi for attracting customers.
The service is free for all customers whether they enjoy a cup of tea or not but they continue to chat or surf in the premises. But, naturally, they sip cups of tea along with their friends during their leisure time at these stalls is the secret of the trade.
Customers as soon as they enter the premises get an indication on their mobiles or pads that Wi–Fi is available and they can connect to the service. But, they face trouble only at the end of month as the stipulated speed decreases due to exceeding the limit according to Fair Usage Policy (FUP) of the service provider.
Not only these small tea stalls, wedding malls and other commercial places are also offering the facility with appropriate charges. Many wedding malls in the city are charging the people who engage these places for marriage and other important gatherings for providing network for uninterrupted communication. This is addition to the normal charges they collect from the people.
“We appreciate the facility while enjoying a cup of tea and it is expensive for the small tea stall owners. But, keeping in mind the young customers, they are providing it. We welcome other organisations to start the facility for convenience of the people,” said K Pravin, an engineering student from Fathekhanpet area.
Interestingly, some saloons and beauty parlours also started the service recently for drawing attention of customers. Though the speed is not significant, since they provide unlimited service with moderate speed for accessing google, WhatsApp, Face Book and other applications, customers use them when they visit these places.
The Union government actually planned the facility in around 25 selected cities across the country at selected public places by June 2015. The provision was initially proposed for major cities that cross population of 10 lakh. Hyderabad in Telangana and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh have matched the parameter but the scheme is yet to take off.
The project is part of Digital India programme under which the government aims to cover cities with population of over 1 million and tourist destinations with Wi-Fi services by December 2015. Indian Railways also announced providing the much sought after service in selected railway stations and Nellore is still waiting for the facility.
By P V Prasad
