Indian telecom operators are expected to deploy around one million Wi-Fi hotspots by end of this year, and now they seem to be inching closer to achieve this feat. Along with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), which has already spread across the country, other telcos including Vodafone and Airtel are also gradually expanding their hotspot footprint to provide these services to their subscribers, said a TelecomTalk report.

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Notably, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha in the Indian Mobile Congress 2018, had announced that telecom operators would deploy around one million Wi-Fi hotspots by end of 2019. 
 
BSNL website has reportedly listed the tariff for Wi-Fi hotspot vouchers which subscribers will need to credit to their accounts if they seek to access these hotspots through their phones. BSNL is currently extending four plans below Rs 100 price mark under this section. The BSNL plans mentioned of its website are: 

1. BSNL WiFi 19 plan offers 2GB data for two days validity at Rs 19. 

2. BSNL WiFi 39 plan offers 7GB data with seven days validity period. 

3. BSNL WiFi 59 plan will provide 15GB data for 15 days.

4. BSNL WiFi 69 plan, which offers 30GB data, will remain valid for 28 days.

The website has also dedicated a webpage for showing hotspot locator, where users will be able to find their nearest Wi-Fi hotspot location by entering their circle and city. Notably, the state owned telco has so far deployed 30,419 hotspots across 16,367 sites. Subscribers can view the entire list of BSNL Wi-Fi Hotspot locations on the website's page.

Those who are interested can connect to BSNL Wi-Fi Hotspots. For that, they should turn on their mobile phone's Wi-Fi and select the BSNL 4G Plus SSID to connect to the nearby Wi-Fi hotspot. For EAP authentication, users need to choose the “SIM” option and then select the BSNL SIM card slot. After the verification, they will be able to use the internet service on their devices, said the TelecomTalk report.

If you happen to be using a non-EAP handset including a mobile, tablet or any other electronic device, you can also connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot, but after receiving a login code on your mobile number, which you have to authenticate to login. 

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Otherwise, users can avail this service through BSNL 4G Plus app which is available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store. 

Those who are not BSNL subscribers can also access the Wi-Fi for free for the first 30 minutes after that they will have to buy WiFi recharge coupon to enjoy internet services via BSNL Wi-Fi hotspot, said the report, citing BSNL.