RailWire | 09 Dec 2019

Why in News

  • Railways has successfully completed the work of providing free public Wi-Fi at 5500 stations across the country. The Wi-Fi is being provided under the brand name of RailWire and is one of the largest Wi-Fi networks in the world.

Key Points

  • Indian Railways mandated RailTel, a Miniratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways, to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi at the Railway stations for the digital inclusion.
  • It was started in January 2016 from Mumbai Central station.
  • RailTel has partnered with Google, Tata Trust, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) for the project and also got funding from Universal Service Obligation Fund (Department of Telecommunications).

Significance

  • Bridges the digital divide between rural and urban India.
  • Students can utilise their waiting time to download study materials.
  • Vendors can use the service for digital payment transactions.
  • Daily passengers can use their time in learning new skills and net-surfing.

Source: PIB