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A Detailed Guide to Public Wi-Fi Networks in India for Foreign Tourists

Everyone need internet access in this digital world. Be it at their homes, in offices, at railway stations, bus stops, cafes or airports, Millions worldwide latch on daily to paid or free public Wi-Fi hotspots to surf the Net on their mobile devices. Many tourists who are on holiday in India, meet their data needs through free public wifi zones or hotspots to save on expensive International roaming charges in India Public wifi hotspots for foreigners in India though, can be a bane rather than a boon. Here’s why you should consider renting a portable 4g internet router or Travelphone Public Wifi for Foreigners in India- Instead of handing out passwords on a piece of paper, the Government has implemented a WiFi User Authentication System that generates an SMS password, delivered directly to the users phone number. The condition attached being that the mobile number has to be a functioning with an active Indian SIM card. Once in a public wifi hotspot zone, a user must select the name of the free public Wifi Network, which loads a login form asking for an Indian mobile number. Once inserted, an OTP (One -time password) is sent to the user by the the ISP. The OTP must be entered and validated. As a result, a foreign number can’t be used to access any public wifi zone without a working Indian mobile number or SIM card1 Due to security reasons, getting a SIM card in India for foreign tourist requires furnishing a lot of documents and there are many many steps involved in the process.On top of that, even if you manage to acquire an Indian 4g SIM Card The number of public internet and wifi hotspot zones in India are very limited 31,000 compared to the USA 11 Million or France 4 Million. Cyber Security for Tourists in IndiaOne of the biggest threats with free public WiFi is the ability for hackers to position themselves between you and the connection point. So, instead of taking you directly with the hotspot, you end up sending your information to the hacker. The hacker also has access to every piece of information you send out—emails, phone numbers, credit card information, business data, the list goes on. And once a hacker has that information, it means trouble. Real trouble. And while you may think ‘okay, I’m not checking my personal email or netbanking while travelling in India, I’m just checking the sports scores,’ remember anything you do on a public WiFi network is not secure.2