Urumqi to build citywide free Wi-Fi network

People in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, are expected to use citywide free Wi-Fi in 2018 as the city launches an ambitious plan to cover the area with a free Wi-Fi network.

The Urumqi government would cooperate with China Telecom Corp in the three-year-long project with the latter undertaking the larger share of the 100 million yuan ($14.42 million) investment.

New Wi-Fi hotspots would be implanted into the city's existing wide-range telecom network, including 3G and 4G base stations and video surveillance system.

The construction work of operation and management platform for the "wireless city" project is already completed.

Wi-Fi network will soon be built in major government agencies, commercial districts and transportation hubs.

In 2017, the project would focus on the expansion of Wi-Fi network in universities, office buildings and hotels in the city.

And in 2018, the network would extend to industry parks and major roads in the city.