wi-fi hotspots in India yet?

Hi,
Thank you for all the effort and consideration you put in for us all. I'm new and have just loved lurking here with you guys but now it's time to leap so here's my first post

I would like to know if any of the members have had any experience or knowledge of wireless networks in India. I am preparing to go for the first time as a net-addicted-laptop-toting-tourist (naltt?) and have read upbeat reports about the early adoption of 'wi-fi' in Asia and less developed countries generally due to the low cost. Is this yet noticeable?
I read all this last year and this month bought a wireless airport card for my laptop, excitedly installed it in Starbucks on New Oxford St. only to find that the free wireless hotspot offer that they had been piloting last year had turned into "would you like to pay £5 for an hour?" oh well...
I read that airports around asia were all getting wi-fi installed, hopefully it will be cheaper in India than Starbucks!

For those unfamiliar with this stuff; wi-fi is a journalist's catch phrase for radio networking between computers. A base station transmitter on an existing network allows appropriately equipped portable computers to access it and the internet, often at very high speeds. These are springing up like invisible mushrooms all over towns in already networked coutries. Some Nodes are 'closed' with password protection, many are not, which means you can log on and surf nearby for free. This phenomena isn't restricted to business districts but is found now throughout domestic areas too.

The fun or funky bit is that to find these nodes folks are driving and walking round with their laptops running software that alerts them of active ones. this has been dubbed "war driving"
(There is now a little keyring sized detector available so you don't need to expose your laptop in public
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/kensing...er-review.html
http://www.globetechnology.com/servl...y/TechReviews/)
not rave reviews for the keyring sniffer, don't think I'll bother just yet

I know one night time taxi driver who passes many hours waiting for fares with doing all his net research and downloading in his cab parked outside particularly strong and fast nodes. He has expressed fear about being visible even in a locked cab so I wonder how viable it would be in India on foot.

It's still early years but this is set to be an increasingly available feature of travelling worldwide, both officially through designated services and unoficially.

-another brick in the digital yellow brick road!

i think delhi Indira Gandi airport offers wi-fi, i vaguely remember seeing some advert when i arrived. in london, euston station has free wi-fiaccess, starbucks charges 5 quid that is true (and sad)

thanks volga volga,
I could try out the Euston one, it's not far from me.
I just found these listings of Indian hotspots;-

http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/browse/intl/2000044/
http://www.jiwire.com/wi-fi-wireless...e-28-47256.htm
http://intel.jiwire.com/browse-hotspot-india-in.htm

Bangalore is humming with them...

one has a price of INR 7.95 per day -not bad

:-)

BUMP - ing an old, old thread.

Can someone give some commentary about the extent of free wi-fi in India currently?


In particular: Delhi / Agra / Varanasi / Amritsar / Mumbai / Kochi


My thanks in advance.