The Connaught Place and Khan Market as free Wi-Fi hotspots seem to have cooled down, with users complaining that they can’t connect to the networks at all or that the speed is so slow that they switch back to mobile data.
The New Delhi Municipal Council had launched free Wi-Fi access at the two busy spots last year. Users could log onto the Tata Docomo and Vodafone networks in Connaught Place and Khan Market respectively for free for the first 20 minutes, after which scratch cards could be bought to extend the services.
But, a year after the Khan Market facility was inaugurated in August 2014 users are finding it difficult to connect to the network. The Hindu visited Khan Market this week and found that the Wi-Fi facilities were unavailable. Most people who work in the posh market were unaware of its existence.
“I’ve worked here for almost a year now, but I didn’t know about the NDMC’s Wi-Fi ,” said Akriti, who works in a popular Khan Market restaurant.
Sanjiv Mehra, the president of the Khan Market Traders’ Association, said technicians of Vodafone had installed routers, but there had been no follow-up after that.
“They came from Mumbai, installed routers and claimed the free Wi-Fi service had started. But, we weren’t told who to call in case it didn’t work. No one has come since it was launched,” said Mr. Mehra.
Vodafone declined to comment on the allegations, with a representative of its communications team saying “Vodafone is not participating in this story at the moment.” In Connaught Place, which saw New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi inaugurate the service in November 2014, the Wi-Fi is only available in some spots. When The Hindu visited, the service was not available.
“It’s very difficult to get cell network in CP, so I tried connecting to the public Wi-Fi . It’s a very long and frustrating procedure and after I connected to it, it was working very slowly,” said Shruti, a 21-year-old student.
Others complained about technical problems while trying to log in. “I tried logging on to the free Wi-Fi , but I wasn’t able to. It’s very confusing and I’ve faced technical problems each time I’ve tried,” said college student Rohan.
Anshumaan Singh, a third-year Delhi University student, added that the though he was able to connect to the Wi-Fi in CP and Khan Market, it wasn’t worth it. “The speed is worse than a 2G connection,” he said.
New Delhi Traders’ Association president Atul Bhargava said the free Wi-Fi facility was just a “gimmick.” “The service was set up by Tata, and it only worked outside shops. Because of the old buildings, walls are very thick it only works in some spots,” said Mr. Bhargava.
A Tata Docomo spokesperson didn’t comment on the complaints, but added that they have “seen a steady growth in the number of customers who access the internet through this service”.
“In our assessment there is a rising demand for public Wi-Fi and it’s our endeavour to provide a sustained experience to our users. Our customer care number 1800-266-121 can be contacted 24x7 for any assistance,” said the spokesperson. The NDMC refused to comment onto the problems being faced by users. “We have not received any complaints,” said a senior NDMC official.
(With inputs from Abhay Bansal)
New Delhi Traders’ Association president Atul Bhargava said the free Wi-Fi facility was just a ‘gimmick’
