At Least Something Is Free In Beijing: Wireless Internet

Digerati in China's capital city are set to welcome free wireless surfing beginning November 2011.

The first seven regions within the city to have the service include Xidan, Wangfujing, the Olympic area, the three major train stations, Financial Street, Yansha, and the Zhongguancun Avenue area. They will have free-of-charge Wi-Fi access by the end of November 2011, according to reports in Chinese local media.

With the new benefits, users of all the three major telecom operators, including China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, will be able to use the free Wi-Fi services in these regions with their mobile phones, tablet computers, and notebook computers.

Information from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology revealed that the construction of the pilot sites for the wireless network access services is drawing to a close. During the next three years, these regions will provide free wireless Internet services to citizens.

The operators will offer 2 Mbps public bandwidth in these regions. With the launch of the new services, users will be able to receive the wireless Internet signal named "My Beijing" with their mobile devices. To access the wireless Internet, they need to enter their mobile phone numbers and the password will be sent to their mobile phones. The password will be valid during the following three hours and users can re-apply when the valid period is due.

A representative from Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology said that they plan to establish 90,000 WLAN access points by the end of the year, covering major regions in Beijing.