Google’s free Wi-Fi now at 400 Indian railway stations

Google had, in collaboration with Railtel, launched free Wi-Fi services to 400 railway stations as a key initiative under the government’s Digital India programme in 2016. 

“Bringing high speed connectivity to millions of Indians across railway stations has been an incredible journey and underscores the importance of investing in public Wi-Fi as a step in getting high quality internet to everyone in India,” K. Suri, Director, Partnership India, Next Billion Users, Google India, said. 

“With over eight million monthly unique users connecting to the network, this is a lighthouse project for India and every growing economy that is looking to bring the benefit of connectivity to everyone in their country,” he added. Offered as a free utility service under the brand name “RailWire”, users have 30 minutes of free access to the internet, in which they can on an average consume 350 MB of data per session. 

“Railway stations are a microcosm that is India and creating a digital inclusion platform is in line with the vision of our Prime Minister and Digital India initiatives of the Ministry of Railways,” said K. Manohar Raja, Executive Director-Enterprise Business at RailTel. 

Over 35 pc users on the network are first time Wi-Fi users. Interestingly, over 50 per cent of users accessing the internet multiple times a day highlight that they work to pursue their occupation from the train stations. Within the first year of the project, 100 of the busiest railway stations across India were made internet-friendly.