Google Station Wi-Fi program in India now offers paid plans

The Google Station program in India kicked off in 2016, offering free high-speed internet access at select railway stations. Unfortunately, the company has now made changes to the program that users likely won’t be happy with.

It still offers free high-speed internet access that’s supported by advertising, but only for 30 minutes. After that, the speed is reduced. Those who spend more time online will have to opt for one of the new paid plans. High-speed internet access for 24 hours will set you back Rs. 19, while a one-week plan goes for Rs. 149 — as shown in the two screenshots below shared on Reddit.

The two plans allow you to connect to the internet at all supported railway stations across the country, offer unlimited data, and are ad-free.

The program initially kicked off at 53 railway stations and is now available at 227 locations. The number is expected to hit 400 by the end of this year.

A Google representative confirmed to Gadgets 360 that the company is testing a paid model, and briefly explained the reasons behind it:

We are currently testing a paid offer, although there will always be a free option. From the beginning, we have said that the long-term goal for RailTel Wi-Fi service was to make it self-sustainable, and a paid model is an important part of that.

What are your thoughts on the changes made to the Google Station program? Let us know in the comments.