Delhi University gears up to welcome the age of WiFi across all colleges

As Delhi University (DU) prepares to set up WiFi connectivity across all 90 colleges of its North and South Campus, students welcome the move.

Running to cyber cafes to keep up with the digital demands of the course will be a thing of the past soon. Delhi University has allocated a budget of ₹67.71 crore for installing Wi-Fi on campus. The connection will be set up across all 90 colleges under the varsity.

DU students are welcoming the varsity's move to set up WiFi across campus.(Photo: Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT (Photo for representational purposes)))

This move has been welcomed by the students, who have been relying on mobile hotspots to finish off assignments and work on laptops. “It’s great news for people like me who are interning alongside studies because I have to submit reports on a weekly basis,” says Varsha Singh, a first-year student of BA (Hons) Psychology at Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College for Women, adding, “I have to work on my laptop connected via mobile hotspot, which is not reliable. Once the campus Wi-Fi starts, I’ll be able to simply switch to work mode and read papers and news reports without constant buffering.”

The members of Hansraj College’s film club, too, are excited about not having to rely on their teachers’ hotspots or dongles for internet access. Astha Mathur, a final-year student of BA (Hons) English, shares, “We always request our professors for their portable network setup to screen films. With Wi-Fi, we can also skip the administrative hurdles of getting permissions, booking a room and hosting impromptu screening sessions.”

Currently, students have to rely on mobile hotspots and dongles for internet access to complete their assignments.(Photo: Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT (Photo for representational purposes)))

This is also an opportunity for the students of Ramjas College’s dance soc to improve their performances by digging into their archive of dances on the net. Aunam, a final-year BCom (Hons) student and member of the soc, shares, “If we get access to Wi-Fi, we can watch our old productions together and show the new members how our style has evolved. It’ll be a win-win.”

Yet others feel that the Wi-Fi shouldn’t be restricted to academic or extracurricular purposes. “On campus, there is barely a phone network for calling; forget the internet. With this, the connectivity among students and people in general will improve. I can watch a show while I’m trying to wind down after a long day of classes after college,” says Saransh Sharma, a first-year student of BSc (Hons) Botany at Kirori Mal College.

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