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Google's Free Wifi is Becoming a Way of Life in India (qz.com)

Posted by msmash on from the connecting-people dept.

Sushma U N, writing for Quartz: American internet search giant Google has completed the rollout of one of the world's biggest public wifi projects in India. On June 07, Google said it now offers free high-speed public wifi at 400 railway stations in Asia's third-largest economy, in partnership with the government-owned Indian Railways and RailTel, which operates a fibre network along the country's massive network of train tracks. The company had announced the initiative back in 2015 during prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to its headquarters in Mountain View, California. The Mumbai Central station in India's financial capital was the first to get the facility in January 2016. Now, over 8 million people use the service, Google said in a blog post. "On average, people consume 350MB of data per session, roughly the size of a half-hour television episode, and over half of the people using Google Station engage in multiple online sessions a day," the company said.

35 comments

  1. Uh oh. by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey guys, this IS Google. Don't get too attached to this service.

    And, for all that is holy, don't let it come out of beta.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    1. Re:Uh oh. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      Hey guys, this IS Google. Don't get too attached to this service.

      Google is paying a price for their engineering cycle of "build-deprecate-kill". They are suffering from employee attrition, as developers realize that nothing they do will ever get out of beta.

      Attrition is especially severe at the Waymo subsidiary. Waymo is ahead on the tech, but there are no path to an actual product, so engineers are jumping ship to Uber and elsewhere.

  2. First you get them hooked. by Kenja · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Then you start exerting control. It's how drug dealing works.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re:First you get them hooked. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then you start exerting control. It's how drug dealing works.

      Please tell us more about how google is the only company that can offer wifi

    2. Re:First you get them hooked. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like most anything in India, it will be shitty if it even works.

  3. DESIGNATED WIFI STREETS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


     

  4. Clang++ the bug-filled shitfest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    All hype.

  5. Free birth control needed instead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    India is bursting at the seams with filthy untouchables. The Ganges is more feces than water. Rampaging cows are running riot through the slums. Time to snip those vas defrens and Fallopian tubes.

    1. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know, all through human history there has always been fucking assholes like you, who think you know What's Best For Everyone, and who also think that you have some sort of gods-given right to enforce that on everyone else, and just like the assholes who think we should go back to Feudalism, you think you specifically should be exempt from your own 'rules'. I got news for you, fuckhead: someone should retroactively exercise birth control on your momma. Assholes like you, properly triggered and enabled, end up being Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao. Go get medicated.

    2. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by Type44Q · · Score: 0

      The parent observed that India has too many people and suggested birth control; you're the lightweight who got "triggered."

    3. Re: Free birth control needed instead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really, all 3 If you got triggered :p

    4. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

      The GP posted a racist screed; you're supporting that by making it sound reasonable.

    5. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sadly, everything mentioned in #56750318 is true.
      As far as medicated, wouldn't that apply to you?

    6. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are a few things on the non-negotiable list for our species; at the top of that list is reproduction: you don't dictate to people that they must or must not reproduce. Forcibly sterilizing someone is assault and a human rights violation, plain and simple, it's treating members of your own species like they're farm animals. Completely and totally unacceptable, at best you're an asshole if you advocate for it, at worst you're a violent criminal committing crimes against humanity and shoudl be dragged by your heels into The Hague for it. Everything I've said on this subject is done calmly, everything I've presented is rational and correct, and there is nothing you or anyone else can say that can possibly defend pre-empting another human beings' ability to reproduce.

      Now, all that being said: You want to advocate for voluntary population control? That's fine, do it all you want. But you don't force it on people. Ever. Unless you want something you don't want forced on you. Understand?

    7. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Birth control for Indians but not for fat fucking Americans who consume everyone's share

    8. Re:Free birth control needed instead. by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      One way or another population control is required, if not voluntary then it will be forced one way or another - either by government, by war, or simply by lack of food causing starvation. We have finite resources available, and a population level that is growing to the point that demand for food will outstrip our ability to produce food.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
  6. "First taste is free!" by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1, Interesting

    ..meanwhile, Google is slurping up all the delicious free data all those people are providing, bundling it, and selling it off to the highest bidder -- and likely their primary customer is the Indian government.

    1. Re:"First taste is free!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wish Comcast would do this in exchange for a larger than 1TB limit. I would be just fine with that trade.

    2. Re:"First taste is free!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      why would comcast offer you something in exchange for what they already have, and what they already sell?

  7. If you're being spied on... by Type44Q · · Score: 2

    If you're being spied on by Mr. "Don't Not Be Evil" Schmidt, it's not free.

    1. Re:If you're being spied on... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is free, to a user who would otherwise go without.

      I see many people in this situation. Sure, you may have to trade your privacy, but if the opportunity cost is missing out on employment, which would you rather them choose?

    2. Re:If you're being spied on... by arth1 · · Score: 1

      I see many people in this situation. Sure, you may have to trade your privacy, but if the opportunity cost is missing out on employment, which would you rather them choose?

      That argument doesn't hold water. You can substitute "jewelry" for "privacy" in it, without it changing its meaning. Is that still free by your definition? Or have you already made the assumption that privacy is not worth anything, and are begging the question?

    3. Re:If you're being spied on... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      I've always used the internet, telephone or any service where data is out of my direct control figuring that I could be spied upon.

      This has been true even in the days before the internet.
      If during the 1970's or 1980's I went grocery shopping. Being a reoccurring customer, I could spark interest if I had changed my shopping habits. Private Investigators would watch peoples shopping habits dig in their trash to find clues on what they are investing.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  8. Stalin? Mayo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I had my way, you'd pine for the days of the kind hand of Stalin, or even a Pol Pot.

  9. How about building their economy properly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Build proper houses with modern plumbing, put in electricity and utilities and then provide jobs that pay a living wage. Why is that so hard for companies? This applies to places in the USA too. (Remember Flint)

    1. Re:How about building their economy properly by bobbied · · Score: 1

      Build proper houses with modern plumbing, put in electricity and utilities and then provide jobs that pay a living wage. Why is that so hard for companies? This applies to places in the USA too. (Remember Flint)

      I remember Flint.. But I don't think your "solutions" are any better than what's already been tried there.. In Flint, until recently, it was one party ruling the city, county and state governments and you mention companies? There aren't any in Flint anymore. They got run off.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    2. Re:How about building their economy properly by Puls4r · · Score: 1

      They got run off because the majority of manufacturing plants in Flint were into component manufacturing. Spark plugs, fuel tanks, air cleaners, mass air flow sensors, alternators. At one point GM had close to 42 different plants turning out stuff. EVERY ONE of those plants has gone to overseas businesses in China, Japan, and Taiwan where they turn the stuff out far cheaper. It's that simple. It had nothing to do with the horrible mismanagement of the government of Flint. P.S. - I lived there and worked there for a decade before I saw the writing on the wall.

  10. Give your data for free to Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    completely nuts, what the fuck was the government thinking? This is basically Inidian gov allowing Google to suck up 8 million people's data, the value of which is easily a hundred times more than it costs Google to maintain the WiFi equipment.

  11. Impact on everyone else by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is pure crap for everyone else. Their "Internet" is based on the R&D of other countries. The targets of their scams, are us. Fuck that. Build your own Internet.

    You know who would care if India or Pakastain fell off the face of the planet? No one. I'd add more Asian countries to the list but at least they contribute tech, India devours it while their Government claims stewardship.

  12. stupid idiot you are by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey guys, this IS Google. Don't get too attached to this service.

    Google is paying a price for their engineering cycle of "build-deprecate-kill". They are suffering from employee attrition, as developers realize that nothing they do will ever get out of beta.

    Attrition is especially severe at the Waymo subsidiary. Waymo is ahead on the tech, but there are no path to an actual product, so engineers are jumping ship to Uber and elsewhere.

    either:

    1 you have no clue and your info is 100% false
    2 you are 100% correct and an idiot for sharing this info with the world, you should be shorting google and keeping your mouth shut

    either way you are an idiot!

    1. Re: stupid idiot you are by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe he has shorted on Google already and is now spreading the news to make the fall happen sooner?

    2. Re: stupid idiot you are by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe he has shorted on Google already and is now spreading the news to make the fall happen sooner?

      join the dunce parade, idiot. shorting a stock only works if you're betting against the common knowledge

  13. not that much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is it me or 8 millions persons in india doesn't sound like that much?

  14. Big brother by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The big brother in action

  15. India has 1,300 million people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    8 million is 0.6% of the total.