Delhi Metro launches free WiFi service on Airport Express Line; Dec 2020 target set for six other lines

The facility was launched by Dr Mangu Singh, Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

New Delhi: For the first time in India, 'High-speed WiFi services' were launched on the Airport Express Line of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday. With this, India became the fourth country after Russia, South Korea and China to launch high-speed WiFi facility in the metro trains.

''Passengers will now be able to access the free WiFi simply by logging into the network with the name 'METROWIFI_FREE'. It has 2 Mbps speed and usage is unlimited,'' the DMRC said. 

"This is for the first time in India that the free Wi-Fi facility on moving Metro Trains has been launched. Delhi Metro currently provides Wi-Fi facility at many of its major stations, including those on yellow and blue lines," the DMRC said in a tweet.

After launching the facility, Dr Mangu Singh, Managing Director of DMRC, said, "Internet connectivity is very important. Although we have WiFi in stations and now this seamless continuous connectivity is a significant step. It is challenging especially because providing WiFi in a moving vehicle is very difficult."

In addition, Mangu said, "The work has already started in all the six lines except the new ones (Magenta and Pink Line). 

''However, the work is much more challenging in these lines because the number of trains and coaches are more which requires more working hour. By December 2020, the target will be fulfilled, '' Mangu added. 

Twenty-four km fibre, seven-kilometre of power cable with 44 base station and other components have been ensured to make avail error-free internet network.

A consortium of M/s Maxima digital Pvt Ltd, M/s techno sat comm (India) Pvt and M/s Didi technologies implemented the project. Delhi Metro stations already have the facility of free WiFi.