J&K: Srinagar to get free Wi-Fi zones soon

Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir, which experiences unrest and internet shutdowns quite frequently, will soon get free Wi-Fi services under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, News18 reported. The J&K administration is planning eight such zones, including at its business hub Lal Chowk, in the city for the first time under the central government's Smart Cities Mission to benefit the people.

• The initiative aims to benefit students, businessmen, and tourists in J&K, which witnesses frequent internet shutdowns due to tensions triggered by protests and unrest.
• Last year, it saw 24 such disruptions, the highest for a single region worldwide, per Surfshark.
• J&K's internet disruptions reached an all-time high in 2019 after the Centre revoked Article 370 and split the erstwhile state into two union territories.

Officials have reportedly identified eight "tentative locations" to be made Wi-Fi zones in Srinagar, reported News18, citing an official document. These locations include Lal Chowk, Zero Bridge on the Jhelum River, the three famous Mughal gardens of Chashme Shahi, Nishat Garden, and Shalimar Bagh, sections on both sides of the Jhelum riverfront, and the VIP zone of Polo View and Residency Road.

"The purpose of the Wi-Fi zones is to provide high-speed internet access to citizens and tourists in areas of Srinagar with a high footfall, places of interest to tourists, and locations where other commercial activities happen," the document reads. However, free internet access will be provided to all users only for the first 15 minutes, followed by a paid option to continue internet access.

The idea of free Wi-Fi is reportedly being pitched to make e-government services available faster and cheaper. The move will lead to local economic development and increased access to online services, especially in the Lal Chowk business hub, officials said. The public Wi-Fi will be distributed through a fiber network and will be free up to an aggregate limit of 300MB/month, the document said.

India witnessed the highest number of internet shutdowns globally in 2022, revealed a report by the US-based tech policy think tank Access Now. The report said that India had nearly 58% of total internet shutdowns (78) last year out of a total of 187 worldwide. It said that 49 such internet shutdowns were in Jammu and Kashmir alone.