Story by Chan Lilian
Pix by Darwina Mohd. Daud
FIFTY high speed WiFi hotspots are now available in the heritage and Komtar areas with users in these area getting 3Mbps compared to the 1Mbps at the other WiFi hotspots.
The launch at Komtar on Oct 21 by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was witnessed by Penang state exco members.
“With the faster speed now at your fingertips, I hope users will be able to experience a more efficient and faster surfing experience. The Penang state government believes that faster Internet or digital broadband speed is a necessary and sufficient condition to become a high-income economy and developed country,” Lim said in his speech.
Taking a jibe at an earlier comment by Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, Lim said: “Maybe he prefers lower broadband speeds but it is like declaring that we can move forward by going backwards. The Penang state government intends to showcase a model of faster broadband that will attain international and intelligent city status.”
The Penang Free Wifi was launched in 2009.
Penang was the first state in the country to offer free broadband access to the public with 750 free WiFi hotspots in specific public areas in the island and Butterworth.
“The objective was to make the internet easily accessible to everyone. Judging by the number of registered users that we have today, which is about 600,000, I can say that we have achieved our aim. This is like almost every household in Penang has a Penang Free Wifi account,” Lim added.
Currently, there are 1,560 free WiFi hotspots in the island itself and the mainland.
In February, the state upgraded the bandwidth from 75Mbps to 375Mbps. This piece of good news was welcomed by many as it meant that Internet users can get faster speed of up to 1Mbps.
Previously it was 512kbps.
This is all part and parcel of the state government’s on-going efforts to make the free WiFi service experience a good one.
Now, at the 50 locations, users can enjoy three times faster speed.
To enjoy this free WiFi service, log on to http://www.penangfreewifi.com.my/ and sign up for an account.