WiFi: The Eighth Wonder Of The World

In a victory for public WiFi, and a major defeat for attention spans, the Taj Mahal is now equipped with free, state-run WiFi access.

Today, 21 WiFi hotspots are up and running inside India’s “crown of palaces,” allowing visitors to surf the web on their phones while exploring one of the wonders of the world. The service is complimentary for the first 30 minutes, after which visitors will have to pay to harness the power of WiFi. The added bandwidth means the age of Taj Mahal selfies is over, and the Periscope/Meerkat age has begun.

I’ve not been to the Taj Mahal (it’s on my bucket list), so I can’t comment on how WiFi will change the atmosphere, but I assume it’s already well covered by cellular. From that perspective, it’s great news for travelers looking to stay connected with friends and family while sightseeing, thanks to Voice- and Text-over IP capabilities. These solutions allow travelers to supplement or even replace cellular service with WiFi, making texts and international calls a fraction of the cost of expensive international phone plans. Reliable service that costs less — sounds like a win-win!

Before widespread WiFi access, phone carriers had us hook, line and sinker. After all, they were the only ones who could package and sell on-the-go access to information and technology, so there wasn’t much of a choice. Now, with WiFi coverage growing, data shows Americans are covered 80 percent of the time. With that figure inching toward complete coverage through city-owned WiFi networks, the need to pay for cellular coverage is diminishing fast, including internationally.

So grab your passport, pack your bag and break up with your phone carrier. WiFi has you covered. Who knows, pretty soon perhaps even the Vatican will reconsider their WiFi ban?