Free Wi-Fi on metro in Bangalore, India

When it comes to wireless networks these days, many people see them as essential and not something extra. While we rock on to our smartphones with a 3G connection, sometimes we just want to preserve battery life – and this is where Wi-Fi networks come in. For those who take public transport in Bangalore, India, you will be pleased to know that for 7 kilometers, the “Namma Metro” (literally, “our metro”) will play host to being the first city transportation system in India that boasts of free Wi-Fi connectivity for all passengers.

This makes perfect sense – after all, Bengaluru is known as the Silicon Valley of India, being the IT hub of the world’s second most populous country. There are future plans to expand the entire metro network to cover 42.3 kilometers of the city before the year 2014 is over, with Wi-Fi connectivity thrown in for free, of course. What do you think? Will such facilities increase the uptake of smartphones in the long run?