Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has said that high-speed WiFi broadband services will be extended to 100 more stations by December 2016. Responding to media on the sidelines of a recently held seminar, Prabhu revealed that RailTel in partnership with Google is implementing the high-speed WiFi broadband services.
He told that the WiFi service is already available on 50 stations across India. The company is working hard to complete the target of 100 stations by December 2016. During his interaction, Prabhu disclosed that RailTel, being a Railway PSU, plays a vital role in providing digital connectivity through an optical fiber.
RailTel’s PAN India optic fibre network is providing connectivity to more than four thousand stations in the country
Technology should be updated, says Suresh Prabhu
Prabhu added that the technology changes very fast and becomes obsolete quickly. Hence, it is necessary to keep pace with the latest changes and modification in the existing technology. Moreover, the company keeps adopting updated forms of technology to provide passengers with safe and secure Internet connectivity.
Rural India should be connected
He highlighted the need to establish connectivity with rural India. He confirmed that it is a huge challenge to reach to all villages which we need to focus on. He stressed the need for providing digital rural connectivity across India. He also said that just extending the reach of railways to villages will not help. The technology should be updated and improved.
We have to definitely bridge rural-urban digital divide so that the benefits of modernisation and latest technology flow to rural areas
Suresh Prabhu, Union Railway Minister, Government of India
When reporters asked him about the possible usage of digital connectivity, Prabhu said that it can be employed for telemedicine, education, entertainment, and many other areas.
