The Penang state Government announced that its Penang Free WiFi service have been upgraded to 1Mbps speed from 512Kbps previously.
In a statement to the media, Penang said that it has upgraded the backhaul bandwidth by 500%, a 5 fold increase from 75Mbps to 375Mbps. The upgrade was announced by the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and YB Chow Kon Yeow, the Penang broadband czar, who handled discussions with Redtone. The Penang Free WiFi service is powered by telecommunications solutions provider, REDtone Telecommunications Sdn Bhd.
The additional bandwidth will cost the Penang state government RM154,200 monthly, an additional RM25,000 or 19.3 % increment from RM129,200 previously.
As part of the Wireless@Penang initiative, the Penang Free WiFi service was launched in 2009 by the state Government to provide 24/7 free Internet access at public places as part of its plan to boost broadband penetration in the state. Today, there are 1,550 hotspots located in all the state’s 40 constituencies where one can access the free service.
Since its launch six years ago, the free WiFi service has understandably been very popular and todate, has close to 600,000 registered users according to the Penang state Government. An average 20,000 users log in to the service daily with usage peaking at 75Mbps from 11am to 10pm. This has caused congestion and a slowdown in the speed prompting the state government to enhance the bandwidth with an additional 300Mbps to benefit the users.
To use the Penang Free WiFi service, users need to be in coverage area and register a free account. Hotspots where the free WiFi service is available are indicated with signages. For more details, users can contact REdtone at 1800 87 7790.
