Beijing will begin rolling out
a new free WiFi service across the city at the end of the month. The “My Beijing”
wireless network, is being built by three of the
largest telecom companies in China. China Mobile, China Unicom and
China Telecom, and will provide residents 2Mbps broadband WiFi to about 60
percent of Beijing. The system will eventually use 90,000 access points.
The new WiFi service will be free to use during the three year pilot program. At the end of the pilot program the government may change the model and begin charging individual or businesses users for access.
Like all things, is offer comes with a catch -- a big one. Users will have to submit their phone number in exchange for access. Privacy enthusiasts have pointed to the possibility of tracking users through their phone numbers. Chinese government representatives have said that the numbers would only be used for "identity authentication" -- insinuating that tracing of individuals only for online activity might "endanger social security."
The Chinese government tightly regulates Internet access throughout the mainland. The government has recently clamped down on cafes, hotels, and other businesses offering public WiFi to its customers. The government in some cases requiring these businesses to install surveillance software to monitor Web users activity. There has even been the threat of fines or termination of their WiFi service for businesses who do not install the software.
High-minded privacy concerns aside, there's the very real danger of phones being bombarded with spam, not to mention what happens when the three year trial period expires -- users of the service could get stung with exorbitant costs to feed a public WiFi addiction.
The new WiFi service will be free to use during the three year pilot program. At the end of the pilot program the government may change the model and begin charging individual or businesses users for access.
Like all things, is offer comes with a catch -- a big one. Users will have to submit their phone number in exchange for access. Privacy enthusiasts have pointed to the possibility of tracking users through their phone numbers. Chinese government representatives have said that the numbers would only be used for "identity authentication" -- insinuating that tracing of individuals only for online activity might "endanger social security."
The Chinese government tightly regulates Internet access throughout the mainland. The government has recently clamped down on cafes, hotels, and other businesses offering public WiFi to its customers. The government in some cases requiring these businesses to install surveillance software to monitor Web users activity. There has even been the threat of fines or termination of their WiFi service for businesses who do not install the software.
High-minded privacy concerns aside, there's the very real danger of phones being bombarded with spam, not to mention what happens when the three year trial period expires -- users of the service could get stung with exorbitant costs to feed a public WiFi addiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment