Free Wi-Fi internet begins service

Sawittree Namwiwatsuk

Free Wi-Fi Internet will be available all along Pattaya Beach by the end of February.

Initially it will be free for all users for three months. Administrators will then decide

on how long it should remain free and to whom.

On January 9 at Pattaya City Hall, Mayor Itthipol Khunplome said this first Wi-Fi high-speed

alliance between Pattaya City and TOT (Public) Co. Ltd was formed to honor

His Majesty the King’s 81st birthday last December.

TOT and Pattaya have already been providing internet service in the Bali Hai Pier area for a

distance of 1.5 km since December 25 to support the New Year Festival. By the end of this

February the range of the service will extend along the beach for a distance of 4.5 km.

Mayor Itthipol said TOT has been installing signal transmission units on the light posts along

Pattaya Beach, some being usable by the end of January. The project is scheduled to be

completed by the end of this February.

The first stage of installation will be along the beach for a distance of 3 km and the

second from Walking Street to the Bali Hai Pier for a distance of 1.5 km, a total distance of 4.5 km.

He said the Wi-Fi Internet post at Bali Hai Pier installed on December 25 received good response

from users who had access cards distributed to them and were able to use them until January 3 at the festival.

The free service will be available for three months then extended until TOT decides how to use the facility commercially.

Then TOT will consider who will have free access, from the Hard Rock Hotel to Central Pattaya and the Pattaya Police Station.

The city will ask TOT to consider offering free access for certain defined periods rather free access based on areas covered, the mayor said.

The Wi-Fi service has a bandwidth of 256 Kb a second. Anyone requiring faster download speed can purchase Wi-Fi Internet cards from TOT.

This service doesn’t require registration for password and user name.

Connection cards for the free Wi-Fi can now be picked up at city hall, the TOT office on Central Pattaya Road and at the Pattaya City Information Center.

Pattaya Mail - Vol. XVII No. 4

(This should make things more interesting along Beach Road at nights. Not to mention there will probably be a sky-rocketing increase in the number of lap top thefts reported from that area "in the early hours of the morning".)

Bandwidth of 256kbs?

How many users at one time - about 20? And sloooooow !

The Wi-Fi service has a bandwidth of 256 Kb a second.

Isn't that kinda slow?

TheWalkingMan

The Wi-Fi service has a bandwidth of 256 Kb a second.

Isn't that kinda slow?

TheWalkingMan

It is concidered fast in some places.