Google this week announced Mexico as the third country — and first in Latin America — to host its high-speed public WiFi platform.
Under an agreement with Sitwifi, a Mexican internet provider, Google will convert existing WiFi hotspots to Google Station, a system that enables partner companies to easily roll out the service in public areas.
Google Station was live in more than 60 high-traffic spaces — including airports, shopping malls and transit stations — across Mexico City and 44 other cities as of Tuesday. The company expects to expand to more than 100 hotspots in the country by the end of the year.
Although Google said Mexico has the third-highest level of internet penetration in Latin America, most users rely on mobile data and access continues to be challenging for many. Google Station debuted in India and also launched in Indonesia.
“We are finding that public WiFi remains still a very important way to get online,” Google product management VP Anjali Joshi said, according to Reuters.
