Free Wi-Fi plus mobile guide to be launched in Old Tatar Settlement in August

(Kazan, KZN.RU, July 21, by Zilya Gafiyatullina). By August 1, free Wi-Fi will be launched on Kayum Nasyri Street in the Old Tatar Settlement within the framework of the "Free Wi-Fi in Kazan" project.  Implementation of the network is also underway in Gorky Park and on the Kazanka river waterfront. A Wi-Fi "Mobile Guide" service will also be launched in pilot mode in the Old Tatar Settlement and Gorky Park. The Kazan mayor's adviser on the development of IT, Dmitry Eremeyev, spoke about free Wi-Fi development in the city at today's Business Monday meeting.

According to him, free Wi-Fi is available today at all Kazan metro stations, at Victory, Millennium, Petrov and Krylya Sovetov parks, in Syrtlanova and Mir street gardens, Hermitage Garden, at the river port and at the square in front of the "Kazan" culture center. Bauman Street was added to areas with free internet in May and the "Kazan" family center area in June. The next place to offer free Internet will be Kayum Nasyri Street in the Old Tatar Settlement, where Wi-Fi is scheduled to be launched by August 1. The testing and commissioning is about to be completed.

The mayor's adviser also said that Kazan provides interactive services for residents and visitors; various other projects are also envisaged. "Currently, information content of a Kazan Kremlin audio guide application is being developed. A Mobile Guide service in pilot mode using the existing network is planned for the Old Tatar Settlement and Gorky Park.

The mobile device app provides the user with information about the history, culture and entertainment available in the user's vicinity. On approaching a particular object, the user will be able to listen to relevant information and watch a video clip about the spot. This function will work even when the GPS and Wi-Fi are deactivated, which will greatly simplify the operation. The information will be available in Tatar, Russian and English.

Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin noted that free internet in parks and squares is gradually becoming the norm for Kazan. "Only recently we happily welcomed free Internet in the parks and squares; today it is becoming the norm. Thank God that we are getting used to it. Sometimes you come to a big European city and can't even receive an e-mail: there's no 3G! Kazan should continue to make progress in this direction. I hope that in the foreseeable future all popular city routes will be available in a mobile application," concluded the mayor.