S. Korea to increase free Wi-Fi zones

The South Korean government on Friday said it plans to provide more free Wi-Fi Internet access zones across the country, so citizens can get better access to the Web from portable devices.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, said 2,000 locations including bus terminals and hospitals have already been connected with free Wi-Fi networks, Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.

Moving forward, the number of free Internet access spots will rise to 12,000 by 2017, the ministry said. 

People will be able to access the Wi-Fi zones for free by selecting public Wi-Fi as their wireless networks and logging in through a user authentication system operation by the country's three telcos. User authentication will also be renewed every hour so those not using Wi-Fi will not prevent others from connecting to the Internet, the ministry said.

Elsewhere in Asia, there have been similar moves to boost Wi-Fi access in the country. Taiwan rolled out 4,400 hotspots across the island at major attractions, transportation hubs and government office for foreign tourists, while Thailand pumped another US$30 million for its free public Wi-Fi project last October.