Hyderabad: Telephone booths that were swept away by the cellphone revolution more than a decade ago are likely to make a comeback as the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) of India is planning to introduce Wi-Fi hotspot PCOs for data users in all cities.
As reported by Deccan Chronicle the TRAI will announce the decision within a week. The move will enable smartphone users to access public Wi-Fi hotspots cutting across mobile networks.
According to sources presently almost all mobile operators and some internet service providers had set up hotspots, but these could be accessed only by their customers. Mobile users of one network cannot use the Wi-Fi hotspot of another network except for BSNL. However the new system of Wi-Fi hotspot PCOs will enable a smartphone user to access hotspots across other networks and ISPs.
The charges of Wi-Fi in PCOs will be 10 times lesser compared to mobile-data. The PCO system is likely to be introduced in all major cities by August.