The Central Highlands city of Da Lat will become a WiFi city where people can access the Internet everywhere, according to a plan recently green-lighted by the local government.
The Lam Dong Province People’s Committee has approved the plan to equip downtown Da Lat and other crowded urban areas with a full WiFi coverage, Huynh Minh Hai, head of the telecom subdepartment under the Department of Post and Telecom, said Tuesday.
A WiFi system will be installed in late December of this year during the 2014 Da Lat Flower Festival, Hai said.
Under the pilot scheme, local people and tourists can use the Internet free of charge.
The project is expected to cost VND6 billion.
Once the WiFi-covered Da Lat model operates smoothly, the project will continue to be implemented in Bao Loc City, also in Lam Dong Province.
WiFi race
Since last year, many major and tourism hubs across Vietnam have joined what is seen as a race to become ‘Wifi-ed’ cities, in which Hoi An and Da Nang are among the early birds.
Hoi An, whose old quarter is well-known to global tourists, became the first city in Southeast Asia to offer free wifi access last year, under a VND25 billion ($1.2 million) program implemented by the municipal department of information and communications and a network provider.
The 350-hotspot network covers every corner inside the old quarter, allowing tourists to access the Internet at a 256Kbps speed.
In May 2013, Da Nang followed suit by announcing it would officially put its network into use in September.
The network, which includes 300 hotspots and is worth an enormous $2 million, is expected to be able to simultaneously serve 10,000 local residents and tourists.
Other cities like Hue and Ha Long have also announced plans to become WiFi cities.
Đăng ký: VietNam News