iWorld
Hinduja Group’s ONE GigaFiber enables over 120 Ganpati Pandals in partnership with Facebook
MUMBAI: ONEOTT Intertainment Ltd (OIL), Hinduja’s foray into Telecom and Internet services, announced a partnership with Facebook to offer Wi-Fi hotspots across Mumbai powered by ONE GigaFiber high-speed internet service, and supported by Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi software platform. The Wi-Fi hotspots will enable consumers in Mumbai to access fast, affordable and reliable Internet for free during the Ganesh Festival.
This service will be available in over 120 Ganpati Pandals including iconic locations such as Lalbaug cha Raja, Girgaum cha Raja, Ganesh Galli, among others. OIL has been actively involved in providing Public Wi-Fi Services with a special focus on Ganeshotsav, where they have been providing Free Wi-Fi and internet access to devotees since 2016, under the brand name “AamchaNet”.
The landmark service has seen close to half a million users since its inception, connecting devotees across Mumbai from the first day of the festival till Visarjan, where Free Wi-Fi access is also available at the most popular Visarjan sites including Girgaum Chaupaty.
Mr. Yugal Sharma, CEO of OIL said – “In the fourth year of providing Public Wi-Fi services during Ganeshotsav, it was amazing to see organizers coming to us directly and asking about enabling their pandals with high speed Wi-Fi. This year, we will be enabling 6 times the pandals and locations that we covered in the first year of launching “AamchaNet”. And now with ONE Wi-Fi hotspots supported by the Express Wi-Fi software platform, OIL’s ambitious plans for providing Public Wi-Fi access have been solidified, and we are looking forward to a successful partnership.”
Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi is a software platform that helps service providers and mobile network operators build, operate, grow, and monetize their Wi-Fi business in a sustainable and scalable way. Facebook partners with service providers and operators who expand the provision of fast, affordable, and reliable access to the Internet over Wi-Fi using Express Wi-Fi.
“Express Wi-Fi is an important part of our work to help transform people’s daily lives and connect more underserved communities,” said Satish Mittal, head of Express Wi-Fi, India, Facebook. “We’re excited to partner with OIL to provide access to fast and reliable Internet over Wi-Fi for free during the Ganesh Festival, leveraging ONE GigaFiber and the Express Wi-Fi software platform.”
To access the service, devotees need to connect to “ONE Express Wi-Fi by Facebook” in the available networks on their devices. By entering their Mobile numbers and verifying the One Time Password (OTP), people can gain access to unlimited data powered by ONE GigaFiber’s high speed connectivity.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
