MANGALORE: Mangalore will soon be the first coastal and tier II city in the state to get free public wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) service. Such a free Wi-Fi connectivity was launched in six commercial hotspots in Bangalore on January 25 this year.

The facility will be rolled out in about in the city in a month, said Ramesh Sathyanarayana, managing director, D-VoiS Broadband Ltd.

This is joint initiative of the IT department and the state government's information and communications technologies (ICT) group.

TV Mohandas Pai, chairman of Manipal Global Education, who pushed D-VoiS, to bring Mangalore under its services, said, "This facility will be extended to Hubli-Dharwad along with Mangalore. Mysore and Belgaum are next on the cards. In Mangalore, it will be available at least on three major roads."

Ramadas Kamath U, senior vice president, Infosys, said, "These days you cannot imagine a student without a smartphone or a tablet. This will help youths connect with others while they are in these hotspots."

''It is a great move to narrow the digital divide. It will enable access to information and fire up imagination. Wi-Fi hotspots will make Mangalore a happening place,'' said Naren Koduvattat, MD, i-Point Consulting Services

Ramesh said the company has done a survey to find locations where the project has to be implemented. ''After we draw up a proper implementation plan, we will know when it will be up and running. It will include main areas in Mangalore. It should happen within a month."

D-VoiS is not new to this coast. In 2009, D-VoiS had set up Wi-Fi network on Manipal University campus. The seamless network is spread over approximately five sq km and is capable of supporting 15,000 subscribers at a time. It is a self-sealing and self-adjusting network that enables students to access internet, intranet and other value added applications anytime and anywhere within the campus. The network is capable of supporting streaming video applications to all its users.

The free Wi-Fi will be on the lines of what rolled out in Bangalore. User can access internet at a speed of up to 512kbps and the usage will be limited to three hours per day or up to 50MB data. To use the service, a user will need to have an authentication password, which will be sent to the mobile number after user registers on the network.