VanWiFi is a public free Wi-Fi network deployed in 2015, firstly for only 42 locations.
In 2016, Shaw, the leading network company in Canada, has been chosen to expand the VanWiFi over 15 additional locations including outdoor public spaces like Canada Place, Jim Deva Plaza, English Bay, Oppenheimer Park, and Sunset Beaches.

The final objective is to allow residents, tourists, and businesses to enjoy free internet connection over 600 locations in the coming months.
550 free Wi-Fi hotspots are already active. Gregor Roberston declared that “people are more digitally connected than ever and good public Wi-Fi access enables locals and visitors to more easily connect and interact online and supports Vancouver’s tourism and economic success”.

Indeed, public Wi-Fi is a real plus for local tourism, allowing travellers to enjoy city services and find what they are looking for easily. According to Ted Little, CFO and commercial director with Tourism Vancouver, the expansion of VanWiFi will enable “visitors to […] discover attractions, activities and restaurants, for wayfinding, and to navigate Vancouver’s transportation options”.

Moreover, restaurateurs, bars and cafés owners are enthusiasts cause they know how social media can impact their business. By offering free connectivity, people will be willing to share more content on social media and, by consequence, increase the social visibility of these locations.

If VanWiFi achieves its goal of 600 Wi-Fi hotspots, it will become the third largest free Wi-Fi network in North-America, right behind New-york City and Washington D.C’s networks.
Gregor Robertson wants visitors to share their Vancouver experience with the world and hopes that the city will become a smart tourism destination.

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The number of 2G internet subscribers in India has been declining so rapidly due to the plummeting price of mobile data rates in India and it is estimated that by the end of 2019, 2G internet subscriptions will be discontinued and be replaced by offers with 4G cellular capabilities.

The decline rate of narrowband internet has quadrupled since Reliance Jio’s entry into the Indian wireless market in 2016 and has brought about the rising availability of low-cost 4G entry-level bundles. Reliance Jio’s partnerships with a variety of low-cost smartphone vendors have also led to competing mobile network operators in India, like Airtel and Vodafone, to launch new-and-improved offers with 4G mobile phones.

What does this mean for the spread of wireless broadband in India?

“The declining prices per GB of 4G data and penetration of services in tier 3 cities and rural geographies of the country is only going to further expedite the process of all subscribers accessing the internet over wireless to be on 4G or broadband,” stated Faisal Kawoosa, Principal Analyst for Telecommunications and ESDM, CMR said in a report.

With the decrease in mobile prices and the widespread penetration of 4G cellular services in rural areas and tier 3 cities in India, facilitated by mobile operators like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone, users currently using 2G internet services throughout India are currently being prompted to switch-over to 4G or wireless broadband throughout India.