SURFING on the go will become easier with more wireless hot spots springing up in heartland areas such as Serangoon, Tampines, Marine Parade, Paya Lebar and Eunos.

HOT DEMAND 'We even got requests from cafes in industrial and business parks, and office buildings, as well as major shopping belts out of town.' ... more

iCell, one of three providers of the Wireless@SG service, is starting work to extend coverage to these areas by the middle of next year.

It will also be fitting out new shopping malls around town like Orchard Central and City Square Mall.

The Straits Times understands that 30 areas will be covered. Before the middle of next year, iCell will be setting up 60 Internet-enabled kiosks around town centres and other heartland areas, and in shopping malls in town.

With 1.3 million subscribers to Wireless@SG now, providers are working to extend coverage, especially in the heartlands, where it is spotty at best.

SingTel, the third provider, said it would 'monitor and evaluate before it decides whether or not to extend Wireless@SG coverage to more areas'.

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said on Tuesday that it would provide funding support of up to $9 million to enhance the Wireless@SG service. The key enhancements include making it free for four more years - till 2013 - and also doubling the speed to 1mbps from the current 512kbps.

Wireless@SG was budgeted to cost $100 million, with the three providers and IDA footing the bill. Regular users of Wireless@SG - mainly students and young professionals - have welcomed the news.

The IDA hopes the issue will improve with its 'Seamless & Secure Access' solution, which it said will automatically log in users when connections are dropped, so they are saved the trouble of entering their login information all over again.

IDA is developing this system together with the operators, and it will be ready by January next year.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.

tanwz@sph.com.sg