Wi-Fi internet to remain free till mid-fall

28/09/2007 - 12:59

The highest-quality Wi-Fi internet can be picked in the vicinity of the presidential office, while the slowest hot spots are at the railway station and near the old town hall.

A total of 19 public hot spots have appeared in Minsk over the two months of testing. First launched in the hotels, the Wi-Fi internet has also reached educational institutions. This reporter was able to pick the wireless internet in the hall of the Minsk Communications College, but you can’t work there with comfort yet. Zmitser Ilyushanka, an official in charge of Wi-Fi maintenance, says that the internet is even available in the smoking room.

“The college’s hot spot covers the administrative building plus one floor up (assembly hall). It can also be picked in the smoking room in the backyard. There are two hot spots at the hostel No2. Totally, the spots cover the college’s campus between two hostels”.

However, none of the college students that we met in the smoking room were aware of the free internet around. Meanwhile, Beltelecom spokesman Aliaksey Fedarychenka said free access would remain till mid-fall.

“We said earlier that free Internet would be available approximately till the middle of the fall. It will remain free during the whole month of October”.

The Beltelecom spokesman also told the European Radio for Belarus that the service information would not generate a wild traffic to be paid for by consumers.

“We will be selling Internet traffic cards. You just scratch; enter the login and the password – just as usual. It is not wise to charge consumers for time. It is absurd to say that service information will generate a wild traffic which will be paid for by customers”.

As far as the quality of the tested service is concerned, the highest-speed internet was picked near Hotel Kastrychnitcki (next to the office of the president’s building), in a cafe of Centralny Cinema and near Hotel Planeta (80-90Kbytes/sec).

The stable service is also near Hotel Yubileynaya, Hotel Belarus and Hotel Sputnik. One can comfortably settle with a laptop on the benches in front of those hotels.

On Freedom Square in downtown Minsk, we were unable to pick the W-Fi signal.

FACTS

There is a total of 19 public hot spots in Minsk.

Railway station
Hotel Kastrychnitski
Hotel Minsk
Hotel Yubileyny
Hotel Planeta
Hotel Orbita
Minsk-2 international airport
Hotel Belarus
Hotel Agat
Hotel Sputnik
Izum Club
Masherov Sports Complex
Old Town Hall
Hotel Tourist
Hotel Almaz
Centralny Cinema
Communications College
Communications college hostel
Cafe Spadchyna