Puri, July 9: State-run BSNL will invest Rs 830 crore for improving services in Orissa and half of that amount will be spent on the broadband network in the current financial year, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here Thursday, while inaugurating a wi-fi hotspot zone created by BSNL at the Jagannath Temple.
“During the current financial year, a project outlay of Rs 830 crore has been earmarked for BSNL Orissa for various projects, including the `400 crore earmarked for the National Optical Fibre Network,” the Union minister said at the function at which petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state minister Pranab Prakash Das were also present.
The launch is part of a government project to provide wi-fi service at historical monuments.
The wi-fi facility has been created by BSNL with the optical fiber backbone, which can provide backhaul broadband bandwidth of up to 100 MB per second.
BSNL will provide free wi-fi service for 30 minutes every 24 hours, limited to three times in a month, which visitors can utilise in multiple sessions.
“After the free usage limit of 30 minutes is exhausted, a customer can continue using the service on paid basis for which subscription plans are available in the denomination of Rs 30, Rs 50, Rs 90 and Rs 150 for validity of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes and one day respectively,” BSNL chairman and managing director Anupam Shrivastava said.
BSNL has already extended a similar wi-fi facility at the Sun Temple.
“In the initial phase, already 12,500 lines have been replaced and during 2015-16, 12,750 lines have been planned to be installed,” Prasad said. PTI