BSNL to set up 1 lakh wi-fi spots by March 2019

TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ State-owned telecom firm BSNL will set up 1 lakh wi-fi spots across India by March 2019, Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said.

“We have plans to set up 1 lakh wi-fi by March 2019, which include 25,000 for rural areas. The USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) will provide financial support for rural wi-fi hotspots,” Shrivastava told reporters on the sidelines of launching a GST application for BSNL customers.

The BSNL CMD said the company will invest about Rs 1,800 crore in setting up 70,000 wi-fi hotspots and the USOF is providing a fund of Rs 900 crore, including three years of operation and maintenance for setting up 25,000 hotspots.

“We will set up another 5,000 wi-fi hotspots on revenue share basis and BSNL is not required to invest capital… we are only providing bandwidth,” Shrivastava said. As for the GST app, he said BSNL has selected Masters India that will provide software to customers of the state-run firm.