Delivering the Wi-Fi enabled connectivity envelope for the users, Tata Docomo, the unified telecom brand of Tata Teleservices Limited, has partnered with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to deliver carrier-grade public Wi-Fi services at Trivandrum International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram.
The service, which was officially unveiled by George G. Tharakan, Director – Trivandrum International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram and Sunil Tandon, Head – Non Voice Services, Tata Teleservices Limited, Sunit Sharma, Chief Airport Security Officer, CISF- Trivandrum – signifies the growing popularity and reliance of internet services among travelers.
The Honorable Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Oommen Chandy congratulating the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Tata Teleservices Ltd said, “It is our endeavor to make Kerala one of the fastest growing states in terms of development. In this regard, we want to adopt all technological advancements across key business districts and buildings. Internet has become integral part of our daily communication needs and therefore, I’m sure that the travelers flying in and out of the Trivandrum Airport will now have access to the best Wi-FI services and will be happy to surf and stay connected. ”
Through the partnership, Wi-Fi services will be made available to passengers free of charge in the transit and lounge areas of the airport for 30 minutes, after which passengers can continue to avail the service by paying for it online.
Commenting on this announcement, George G. Tharakan, Director – Trivandrum International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram said, “Airports Authority of India Manages 121 Airports in india including 11 international Airports. Trivandrum International Airport is the 11th busiest airport in India and this airport handles over 3 million passengers every year. 70% of these are international travelers. Hence, we wanted to make sure that they get a similar experience as comparable to the world’s best airports in terms of services. We are hopeful that partnering with Tata Docomo to provide high-speed Wi-Fi services at the Trivandrum International Airport will surely guarantee customer delight at Kerala’s second busiest airport.”
Sunil Tandon, Head – Non Voice Services, Tata Teleservices Limited elaborated upon the growing popularity of public Wi-Fi services by the millennials. “This in our continuous endeavour to provide high speed public Wi-Fi across the leading airports in the country. Wi-fi zones are becoming an increasingly important feature of our public spaces; Tata Docomo is at the heart of this evolution. As a company we are uniquely placed to deliver, provision, support, provide security and back-up on this scale.
He further added, “Travelers have their own ‘Magic Hour’ which they use to check mails, access flight information, browse the web and send messages prior to boarding their flight. This is the reason airports require high quality and reliable public Wi-Fi services. We are proud to partner with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to provide a great experience to the large number of passengers flying in and out of Trivandrum.”
Airports, increasingly a social media zone
As per Skyscanner Wi-Fi Guide, Indian airports are ahead of European countries in Wi-Fi service. The study reveals that less than half of Europe’s biggest airports offer free Wi-Fi on an unlimited basis, while most major airports of India provide access to free Wi-Fi, adding to the convenience of the travelers.
The same survey found that 71% of travellers felt free Wi-Fi was important or extremely important and most commonly use free Wi-Fi for social media (10%), check emails (22%) or to simply pass the time (30%) as they waited for their flight. This is further validated by SITA’s global research which states that air passengers are becoming increasingly reliant on social media throughout their journey and provision of airport Wi-Fi represents a top three priority for passengers (after price comparison services and real time flight information).
This partnership reflects Tata Docomo’s commitment and experience in the provision of Wi-Fi services in public spaces across India, most recently at Delhi’s Connaught Place.
Supported by the company’s wholly-owned national fiber backbone, Tata Docomo is India’s leading provider of Wi-Fi services, delivering complete Wi-Fi connectivity to a number of public spaces, commercial premises including country’s leading hotels, premium retail café chains and India’s top airports. Tata Docomo’s Wi-Fi provisioning has also assisted in connecting some of India’s most emblematic public spaces.
In addition to infrastructure, Tata Docomo delivers support services, security and a range of revenue models and value-added services to support these Wi-Fi zones. The company plans to set up Wi-Fi hotspots in major cities across the country over the next two years in anticipation of the exponential growth of internet usage on the back of year-on-year doubling of smart devices in India.
