The international airport in Delhi is going hi-tech from September. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is introducing the wireless internet (Wi-Fi) technology at the airport to enable travellers to surf the net and send e-mails from anywhere in the international terminal, and that too, without plugging into the telephone cord.

A similar network is also being introduced in the domestic arrival terminal, airport officials told The Times of India. The network is being put in place by Sify. Travellers can use this facility with a pre-paid card.

“The first Wi-Fi-enabled airport terminals in the capital will start functioning within two weeks. We are first starting with the international terminal and the domestic arrival. It will later be rolled out across all terminals,” the official said.

Wi-Fi is fast emerging as a popular way to surf the internet wirelessly. Worldover, it is mainly used in homes, schools, universities and offices. People with Wi-Fi-capable laptops can get online via access points that can link computers within 50 metres or so to the internet.

Besides, Sify is also setting up cybercafes at the airport to enable travellers to use internet telephony to make international calls. Passengers would be able to place an international call through these cafes for an average of Rs 24 per minute. AAI will earn a royalty of around Rs 15 crore from the cybercafes alone.

This, the official said, is part of the authority’s plan to make the airport more passenger-friendly.