NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel announced its collaboration with HP, in a combined effort to promote Broadband and PC penetration in the country. Under the scope of the partnership, Airtel will offer consumers a broadband connection at Discounted Entry Cost with every HP and Compaq notebook and desktop. This alliance is a key initiative by the two industry leaders to join forces to further enhance broadband and PC penetration levels in the country.
Announcing the collaboration, Deepak Srivastava, CEO- North, Telemedia Services, Bharti Airtel said, “At Airtel, it is our consistent endeavor to look at innovative and exciting ways that help our customers derive the most out of their Broadband experience. The synergies of the Airtel-HP alliance will leverage the symbiotic relationship between the PC and Broadband, spurring uptake of best-in-class content and an enhanced on boarding experience for both existing and first time users. This initiative will further enhance our leadership in the broadband space, and is an excellent value for money proposition for our customers.”
According to Rajiev Grover, Director, Consumer Products, HP PSG India, “As the market leader in the Indian PC space, we have continuously worked towards creating an enabling ecosystem by not only creating a diverse product range, but also to create relevant offerings appealing for the dynamic market. With this unique partnership with Airtel broadband service, we have gone a step beyond adding value to the ultimate PC experience that HP has to offer. As more and more consumers log onto the internet for e-commerce, entertainment and gaming, P2P sharing and for downloading applications, this tie up will enable the user to get more from his PC.
Under the offer, Airtel is offering customers buying any HP Compaq notebook an Airtel broadband connection at extremely pocket-friendly/ consumer-friendly terms that include Zero Security Deposit and Installation Fee, Free Wi-Fi connection and Discounts on Broadband Rental upto 14 months.
Source : EconomicTimes
Showing posts with label Wi-Fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wi-Fi. Show all posts
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Blackberry, WiFi system come under security scanner
NEW DELHI: In what may spell trouble for Blackberry and wireless fidelity (WiFi) internet service providers, security agencies are likely to harden their stance for having a fool-proof mechanism in place at the earliest.
The move comes close on the heels of militants of Indian Mujahideen using the wireless fidelity (WiFi) to send an email minutes ahead of audacious Ahmedabad attack.
"We are seized of the matter and it would be taken up with appropriate authorities soon," a senior Home Ministry official said.
When asked about the Blackberry services which were a point of controversy between security agencies and Information and Technology department, the official said the ministry has pointed out its hazards and it was for them to act.
The official said the security agencies had pointed out that password protection should be introduced in every customer using the WiFi technology.
However, the recent hacking in its proxy server while sending the email ahead of the weekend blasts was a glaring violation of the same, sources in the union Home Ministry said, adding that the Department of Telecom may not have placed in stringent measures.
The security agencies, in the case of Blackberry, have asked Department of Telecom to ensure that traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside the country.
"There should be a single point of delivery system for the entire Blackberry traffic in India and the traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside," they said in a note to DoT.
The move comes close on the heels of militants of Indian Mujahideen using the wireless fidelity (WiFi) to send an email minutes ahead of audacious Ahmedabad attack.
"We are seized of the matter and it would be taken up with appropriate authorities soon," a senior Home Ministry official said.
When asked about the Blackberry services which were a point of controversy between security agencies and Information and Technology department, the official said the ministry has pointed out its hazards and it was for them to act.
The official said the security agencies had pointed out that password protection should be introduced in every customer using the WiFi technology.
However, the recent hacking in its proxy server while sending the email ahead of the weekend blasts was a glaring violation of the same, sources in the union Home Ministry said, adding that the Department of Telecom may not have placed in stringent measures.
The security agencies, in the case of Blackberry, have asked Department of Telecom to ensure that traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside the country.
"There should be a single point of delivery system for the entire Blackberry traffic in India and the traffic originating and terminating in India should not travel outside," they said in a note to DoT.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Citywide WiFi Planned by BMC in a 50-Crore Plan For Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has brought forward a plan, which, if implemented, would allow anyone to use WiFi on their compatible laptops or mobile phones. This initiative by the BMC is a public-private partnership of sorts, in which the BMC plans to cover the entire city with WiFi coverage, albeit not free.
Once the city is WiFi enabled, it will enable any user who has a WiFi enabled device to surf the web from any location in the city. Once he is connected, he will be able to move around in the city at his own will, without worrying about any wires. The project was only recently declared ‘technically feasible’ by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which is BMC’s consultant for their e-governance project too. The project, which has been in the pipeline for the last couple of years, was initially limited to the BMC Headquarters, ward offices, zonal offices and the civic hospitals.
The BMC plans to invite tenders in a month’s time for the project. According to the plan, BMC will only be responsible to erect the towers and the infrastructure required for the technology. The rest will be done by the service providers, who in turn will give a part of their profits to BMC. The details of the profit share have not been finalized yet. Revenue will be generated from the subscribers, although BMC maintains that this will be cheaper than other such services.
BMC is following Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal corporation who have planned the same in their area and the tenders for the same have already been floated. Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner for the BMC was quoted:
The BMC hopes to speed up its e-governance initiative with this move. Senior Officials from the governing body said that such a network would make it easy for the citizens to communicate with each other and the civic body, thus making communications easier and processing time shorter. Cyber experts, on the other hand, see this move from a different perspective. According to them, this would place Mumbai among the top technologically advanced cities in the world.
If the plan does indeed go through, it would be interesting to see how it would be implemented. According to me, it would really help if there was a single system of managing the service. Something on the lines of Mobile Recharge coupons should be implemented, wherein each user will have his own account and he is charged as per usage. We will also need to wait and see what speeds would be implemented along with the service.
But wait, if the city becomes WiFi enabled, what happens to the city’s WiMax providers?
Source : WATBlog
Once the city is WiFi enabled, it will enable any user who has a WiFi enabled device to surf the web from any location in the city. Once he is connected, he will be able to move around in the city at his own will, without worrying about any wires. The project was only recently declared ‘technically feasible’ by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which is BMC’s consultant for their e-governance project too. The project, which has been in the pipeline for the last couple of years, was initially limited to the BMC Headquarters, ward offices, zonal offices and the civic hospitals.
The BMC plans to invite tenders in a month’s time for the project. According to the plan, BMC will only be responsible to erect the towers and the infrastructure required for the technology. The rest will be done by the service providers, who in turn will give a part of their profits to BMC. The details of the profit share have not been finalized yet. Revenue will be generated from the subscribers, although BMC maintains that this will be cheaper than other such services.
BMC is following Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal corporation who have planned the same in their area and the tenders for the same have already been floated. Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner for the BMC was quoted:
In Mumbai, it will be a larger scheme (compared to Pimpri-Chinchwad) as the city covers an area of 437 sq km, almost three times greater than PCMC that is just 171 sq km. We do not have to spend anything, but we only have to set up the towers. The service providers will put in the money and some part of the profits they make will be given to the BMC”
The BMC hopes to speed up its e-governance initiative with this move. Senior Officials from the governing body said that such a network would make it easy for the citizens to communicate with each other and the civic body, thus making communications easier and processing time shorter. Cyber experts, on the other hand, see this move from a different perspective. According to them, this would place Mumbai among the top technologically advanced cities in the world.
If the plan does indeed go through, it would be interesting to see how it would be implemented. According to me, it would really help if there was a single system of managing the service. Something on the lines of Mobile Recharge coupons should be implemented, wherein each user will have his own account and he is charged as per usage. We will also need to wait and see what speeds would be implemented along with the service.
But wait, if the city becomes WiFi enabled, what happens to the city’s WiMax providers?
Source : WATBlog
Monday, June 23, 2008
Delhi High Court goes wi-fi
The Delhi High Court is all set to go high-tech as its premises is soon going to get a wi-fi facility.
"We have identified 10 hot spots where the instruments would be put in place so that lawyers and others could have wireless internet access in the court premises without facing any glitches", Delhi High Court Bar association's president K C Mittal told PTI.
Apart from wi-fi, all the lawyer chambers will soon be connected through intercom and lawyers could contact their colleagues by just dialling the concerned chamber number, he said.
"MTNL is working on the projects and we hope that at the end of this month wi-fi would be functional and all the chambers would be connected through intercom," Mittal said, adding that he has been consulting various authorities to implement an e-filing system so that petitions could be filed through internet.
Mittal said steps were also being taken to spruce up the security in the court complex in view of the recent terrorist attacks on court premises in different parts of the country.
"Security is a major concern for us and it is also being spruced up with scanning machines being set up at the gates so that unwanted elements could be prevented from entering the court premises," he said, adding that a railway reservation counter was also being set up inside the court premises.
Source : EconomicTimes
"We have identified 10 hot spots where the instruments would be put in place so that lawyers and others could have wireless internet access in the court premises without facing any glitches", Delhi High Court Bar association's president K C Mittal told PTI.
Apart from wi-fi, all the lawyer chambers will soon be connected through intercom and lawyers could contact their colleagues by just dialling the concerned chamber number, he said.
"MTNL is working on the projects and we hope that at the end of this month wi-fi would be functional and all the chambers would be connected through intercom," Mittal said, adding that he has been consulting various authorities to implement an e-filing system so that petitions could be filed through internet.
Mittal said steps were also being taken to spruce up the security in the court complex in view of the recent terrorist attacks on court premises in different parts of the country.
"Security is a major concern for us and it is also being spruced up with scanning machines being set up at the gates so that unwanted elements could be prevented from entering the court premises," he said, adding that a railway reservation counter was also being set up inside the court premises.
Source : EconomicTimes
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
You Telecom And Red Snapper Form Wireless Network JV: YouSnapper
YOU Telecom, an Internet Service Provider in which Citigroup Venture Capital has a majority stake, has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Red Snapper, a Malaysian wireless and VoIP service provider reports Business Standard.
RedSnapper has a Wide Area WiFi technology; the company is funded by the Malaysian Government. YouSnapper has already begun a pilot in Thane (Maharashtra). YouTele has around 17.5 lakh subscribers according to the report, and intends to expand operations from 12 to 26 cities in 18 months. At present, WiMax services are being piloted in India, with Tata Indicom, and BSNL has been announcing WiMax plans for the last decade (or something like that). GoBroadband lists a number of complaints regarding Tata Comm and Reliance WiMax services.
Source : contentSutra
RedSnapper has a Wide Area WiFi technology; the company is funded by the Malaysian Government. YouSnapper has already begun a pilot in Thane (Maharashtra). YouTele has around 17.5 lakh subscribers according to the report, and intends to expand operations from 12 to 26 cities in 18 months. At present, WiMax services are being piloted in India, with Tata Indicom, and BSNL has been announcing WiMax plans for the last decade (or something like that). GoBroadband lists a number of complaints regarding Tata Comm and Reliance WiMax services.
Source : contentSutra
Monday, April 7, 2008
Wi-fi facility inaugurated at Cuttack
CUTTACK: Chairman of Railway Board K C Jena on Sunday inaugurated the wi-fi facility at the railway station here to enable passengers pursue their professional and personal activities even during travel.
Any passenger could access the internet at the station with the help of a wi-fi enabled laptop and use credit card of any bank for online booking, he said.
Jena said the facility, introduced for the first time in the East-Coast Railway division, would help the bonafide passengers to enjoy wireless broadband access, access to reservation system, check e-mail and surf net at platforms while travelling.
The facility, provided by M/s Railtel, was currently available in 53 stations across the country.
In the near future, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Visakhapatnam stations would get the facility, railway sources said.
Jena inspected and reviewed the work of the second railway bridge over river Mahanadi which was likely to be commissioned soon.
As soon as the bridges over river Kathjodi and Kuakhai were completed, the double track between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar would be operational, he said.
Source : EconomicTimes
Any passenger could access the internet at the station with the help of a wi-fi enabled laptop and use credit card of any bank for online booking, he said.
Jena said the facility, introduced for the first time in the East-Coast Railway division, would help the bonafide passengers to enjoy wireless broadband access, access to reservation system, check e-mail and surf net at platforms while travelling.
The facility, provided by M/s Railtel, was currently available in 53 stations across the country.
In the near future, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Visakhapatnam stations would get the facility, railway sources said.
Jena inspected and reviewed the work of the second railway bridge over river Mahanadi which was likely to be commissioned soon.
As soon as the bridges over river Kathjodi and Kuakhai were completed, the double track between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar would be operational, he said.
Source : EconomicTimes
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Intel develops platform to boost Wi-Fi antenna's range to 60 miles
NEW DELHI: Wireless mobile internet access is a great tool to have. You can sit by the beach, by the pool side or an airport lounge and surf the net, without any dangling wires. You just have to ensure that the laptop can sniff a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) hot spot and get going on the world wide web.
The range is about 150 feet and if you want a longer range, say around 30 miles, WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the way to go. So said the geeks. But there’s a bit of twist in the tale, thanks partly to new research and partly to actual technology roll out.
WiMax is a great way to cover cities and sparsely populated areas, but actual coverage is far less than promised: one to 1.5 km in very densely populated areas to about 10-12 km in others. On the other hand, Intel researchers have developed a new platform that boosts Wi-Fi antenna’s limited range to 60 miles!
So, in effect instead of WiMax, as a wireless access technology in rural and remote areas, Wi-Fi could do the job as well. And being cheaper, companies may find the long range Wi-Fi a better connectivity tool for sparsely populated areas. With this both WiMax and Wi-Fi can potentially cover vast areas and companies might need to revisit their roll out plans for wireless internet access.
``Wherever we don’t have last mile access we have deployed WiMax; in all at about 20 (includes Ahmedabad, Cochin, Trivandrum, Jallandhar and Kolhapur) locations for enterprise use. WiMax is good for last mile access but it is hyped too much. For good connectivity you need to be in line of sight, outdoor range is good up to 12 km but the further you go from the antenna the weaker the signal becomes,’’ says TV Sriram, vice president, technology, Bharti Airtel. However, Mr Sriram has not come across the long range Wi-Fi or the rural connectivity platform (RCP) as Intel calls it.
Ditto’s Cisco’s business development manager for advanced technologies, Paramjit Singh Puri. Says he, ``there could be a lot of slip between the cup and the lip. WiMax has been the buzzword for the last few years, though it may not be practically possible to have a very long range with a single antenna. On the other hand Wi-Fi has seen lot of deployments the world over including India where there are about 700-800 hot spots. A long range Wi-Fi could make a difference.’’
Intel’s managing director, emerging markets WiMax Program Office, Lil Mohan, however, believes that WiMax is living up to its promise and Intel is launching new chips that offer both WiMax and Wi-Fi capability. ``With WiMax quality of service is guaranteed but not so with WiFi. Also, for the long distance Wi-Fi you need a flat terrain and it will work well where population is sparse, but quality could be an issue,’’ adds Mr Mohan.
The new long distance Wi-Fi platform or RCF has been tested by Intel in India, Panama, Vietnam, South Africa. It comprises processor, radios, specialised software and a directional antenna which helps shoot data to a receiving antenna as far as 60 miles away.
Intel was able to achieve this by using new software and radios, increasing the range of Wi-Fi from just about 150 feet to several miles. However, this is good for sparsely populated areas with a flat terrain, that will enable line of sight signal access.
Eventually both, WiMax and the long range Wi-Fi could be deployed together to cover remote areas for wireless internet access. But those who thought Wi-Fi is only for indoors better update their technology strategy and business plans.
The range is about 150 feet and if you want a longer range, say around 30 miles, WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the way to go. So said the geeks. But there’s a bit of twist in the tale, thanks partly to new research and partly to actual technology roll out.
WiMax is a great way to cover cities and sparsely populated areas, but actual coverage is far less than promised: one to 1.5 km in very densely populated areas to about 10-12 km in others. On the other hand, Intel researchers have developed a new platform that boosts Wi-Fi antenna’s limited range to 60 miles!
So, in effect instead of WiMax, as a wireless access technology in rural and remote areas, Wi-Fi could do the job as well. And being cheaper, companies may find the long range Wi-Fi a better connectivity tool for sparsely populated areas. With this both WiMax and Wi-Fi can potentially cover vast areas and companies might need to revisit their roll out plans for wireless internet access.
``Wherever we don’t have last mile access we have deployed WiMax; in all at about 20 (includes Ahmedabad, Cochin, Trivandrum, Jallandhar and Kolhapur) locations for enterprise use. WiMax is good for last mile access but it is hyped too much. For good connectivity you need to be in line of sight, outdoor range is good up to 12 km but the further you go from the antenna the weaker the signal becomes,’’ says TV Sriram, vice president, technology, Bharti Airtel. However, Mr Sriram has not come across the long range Wi-Fi or the rural connectivity platform (RCP) as Intel calls it.
Ditto’s Cisco’s business development manager for advanced technologies, Paramjit Singh Puri. Says he, ``there could be a lot of slip between the cup and the lip. WiMax has been the buzzword for the last few years, though it may not be practically possible to have a very long range with a single antenna. On the other hand Wi-Fi has seen lot of deployments the world over including India where there are about 700-800 hot spots. A long range Wi-Fi could make a difference.’’
Intel’s managing director, emerging markets WiMax Program Office, Lil Mohan, however, believes that WiMax is living up to its promise and Intel is launching new chips that offer both WiMax and Wi-Fi capability. ``With WiMax quality of service is guaranteed but not so with WiFi. Also, for the long distance Wi-Fi you need a flat terrain and it will work well where population is sparse, but quality could be an issue,’’ adds Mr Mohan.
The new long distance Wi-Fi platform or RCF has been tested by Intel in India, Panama, Vietnam, South Africa. It comprises processor, radios, specialised software and a directional antenna which helps shoot data to a receiving antenna as far as 60 miles away.
Intel was able to achieve this by using new software and radios, increasing the range of Wi-Fi from just about 150 feet to several miles. However, this is good for sparsely populated areas with a flat terrain, that will enable line of sight signal access.
Eventually both, WiMax and the long range Wi-Fi could be deployed together to cover remote areas for wireless internet access. But those who thought Wi-Fi is only for indoors better update their technology strategy and business plans.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Indian WiFi Market To Boom By 2012!
We recently carried a quote by Oracle R&D head that most devices would be internet enabled and would access the data available on the internet to function better. Well being internet enabled could very well mean that we could soon be in a wifi world. According to a study “Wi-Fi in India: A key enabler of economic, cocial and community development” India’s WiFi market will touch 890 Million dollars by 2012.
Which basically means that wifi enabled device sales will climb 36% year on year from 2008. Also this report doesn’t take into consideration devices like laptops, handsets, and chipsets. The growth mentioned in this report will come from sales of WLAN gear, networking tools, professional services, Wirless Internet Service Provider (WISP) revenues, Wi-Fi applications that are being built for niche sectors, handheld terminals, and system integration services.
I feel with such sales rising there is tremendous potential for a pan india wifi service provider who could also venture into the sales of cheap wifi phones for the masses. Phones like this one launced way back in 2006.
One can download the entire report from here.
Which basically means that wifi enabled device sales will climb 36% year on year from 2008. Also this report doesn’t take into consideration devices like laptops, handsets, and chipsets. The growth mentioned in this report will come from sales of WLAN gear, networking tools, professional services, Wirless Internet Service Provider (WISP) revenues, Wi-Fi applications that are being built for niche sectors, handheld terminals, and system integration services.
I feel with such sales rising there is tremendous potential for a pan india wifi service provider who could also venture into the sales of cheap wifi phones for the masses. Phones like this one launced way back in 2006.
One can download the entire report from here.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wi-Fi market in India to touch $891mn mark by 2011-12: Study
NEW DELHI: Riding on realty, retail and other infrastructure sectors boom, including the Indian Railways, the adaptation of Wi-Fi in India is set to increase massively.
After witnessing a 100% increase in the number of hotspots (locations that are Wi-Fi enabled, where one can log on to the Net without using cables) to about 1,600 in 2007-08, this number is expected to increase by several multiple times during the current year.
A study by the Global Wi-Fi Alliance has estimated that Wi-Fi market in India will grow to $891million by 2011-12. This figure includes WLAN gear, networking tools, professional services, Wirless Internet Service Provider (WISP) revenues, Wi-Fi applications that are being built for niche sectors, handheld terminals, and system integration services, but does not include chipsets, laptops, PDAs, cell phone handsets and other devices.
According to Global Wi-FI Alliance senior marketing manager Kelly Davis-Felner, the addressable base of Wi-Fi-enabled client devices is growing steadily in India since about 90 - 95% of notebooks being sold today had a built-in Wi-Fi capability.
“We have noticed that a small but growing number of Indian mobile subscribers are going in for handsets with Wi-Fi capability. A highly mobile, young generation increasingly expects near-always-on mobile broadband connectivity and is willing to pay for it. These factors will drive increased use of Wi-Fi in India moving forward,” Ms Davis-Felner added.
The global Wi-FI alliance’s study also points out that exploding real-estate market growing at 30% annually, where entire new townships are coming up in tier-2 and tier-3 towns, coupled with the fact that organized retail was expected to add about 220 million square feet of space by 2010, provided the perfect platform for Wi-Fi to take off in India.
More so, considering that the growth in commercial office space requirements is led by the burgeoning outsourcing and information technology (IT) industry-for example, IT and ITeS alone is estimated to require 150 million square feet across urban India by 2010.
Other factors that will ignite Wi-Fi in India include large-scale developments of hotspots by corporates, telcos and PSUs. For instance, the Indian Railways recently announced that all important rail-routes between metros would be made Wi-Fi-enabled together with 50 railway stations (20 of which to be completed by March, 2008).
Tata Communications, which has already rolled out rolled out 350 plus public hotspot locations is set to increase the chain to about 1,000 this year in 2008.
Similarly, BSNL is setting up 100,000 Community Service Centres which will be carrying a powerful info kiosk that has Internet connectivity, plans to make a significant number of these Wi-Fi enabled.
“While new technology solutions (PON, WiMAX, ADSL) will continue to address growing demand for broadband in India, Wi-Fi will continue to play a strong role in sub-tending the last mile to multiple end-points - slashing costs, improving inventory management in organized retail, enabling faster check-ins at airport counters, medical services in rural India, creating jobs in a rural BPOs, spreading education in hinterlands of India and enriching quality of life for many,” the Wi-Fi Alliance study adds.
Expressing confidence in Wi-Fi uptake in India, Ms Davis-Felner added: The biggest strengths of Wi-Fi are its ubiquity (virtually every notebook shipped is Wi-Fi equipped and an increasing number of mobile phones carry the capability now), its maturity as a technology and the demonstrated interoperability it provides today.
Wi-Fi’s complementary nature with a variety of back-haul technologies including DSL, WiMAX or FTTX, make it a natural ally to most service providers in extending the ‘last-mile’ of connectivity to the user.”
Source : EconomicTimes
After witnessing a 100% increase in the number of hotspots (locations that are Wi-Fi enabled, where one can log on to the Net without using cables) to about 1,600 in 2007-08, this number is expected to increase by several multiple times during the current year.
A study by the Global Wi-Fi Alliance has estimated that Wi-Fi market in India will grow to $891million by 2011-12. This figure includes WLAN gear, networking tools, professional services, Wirless Internet Service Provider (WISP) revenues, Wi-Fi applications that are being built for niche sectors, handheld terminals, and system integration services, but does not include chipsets, laptops, PDAs, cell phone handsets and other devices.
According to Global Wi-FI Alliance senior marketing manager Kelly Davis-Felner, the addressable base of Wi-Fi-enabled client devices is growing steadily in India since about 90 - 95% of notebooks being sold today had a built-in Wi-Fi capability.
“We have noticed that a small but growing number of Indian mobile subscribers are going in for handsets with Wi-Fi capability. A highly mobile, young generation increasingly expects near-always-on mobile broadband connectivity and is willing to pay for it. These factors will drive increased use of Wi-Fi in India moving forward,” Ms Davis-Felner added.
The global Wi-FI alliance’s study also points out that exploding real-estate market growing at 30% annually, where entire new townships are coming up in tier-2 and tier-3 towns, coupled with the fact that organized retail was expected to add about 220 million square feet of space by 2010, provided the perfect platform for Wi-Fi to take off in India.
More so, considering that the growth in commercial office space requirements is led by the burgeoning outsourcing and information technology (IT) industry-for example, IT and ITeS alone is estimated to require 150 million square feet across urban India by 2010.
Other factors that will ignite Wi-Fi in India include large-scale developments of hotspots by corporates, telcos and PSUs. For instance, the Indian Railways recently announced that all important rail-routes between metros would be made Wi-Fi-enabled together with 50 railway stations (20 of which to be completed by March, 2008).
Tata Communications, which has already rolled out rolled out 350 plus public hotspot locations is set to increase the chain to about 1,000 this year in 2008.
Similarly, BSNL is setting up 100,000 Community Service Centres which will be carrying a powerful info kiosk that has Internet connectivity, plans to make a significant number of these Wi-Fi enabled.
“While new technology solutions (PON, WiMAX, ADSL) will continue to address growing demand for broadband in India, Wi-Fi will continue to play a strong role in sub-tending the last mile to multiple end-points - slashing costs, improving inventory management in organized retail, enabling faster check-ins at airport counters, medical services in rural India, creating jobs in a rural BPOs, spreading education in hinterlands of India and enriching quality of life for many,” the Wi-Fi Alliance study adds.
Expressing confidence in Wi-Fi uptake in India, Ms Davis-Felner added: The biggest strengths of Wi-Fi are its ubiquity (virtually every notebook shipped is Wi-Fi equipped and an increasing number of mobile phones carry the capability now), its maturity as a technology and the demonstrated interoperability it provides today.
Wi-Fi’s complementary nature with a variety of back-haul technologies including DSL, WiMAX or FTTX, make it a natural ally to most service providers in extending the ‘last-mile’ of connectivity to the user.”
Source : EconomicTimes
Friday, March 14, 2008
Jaipur to be Wifi City in 1 Year
We had blogged about the fact that the first wifi city could be Jaipur in India also the fact that builders themselves are looking at installing wifi in their new buildings is heartening for anyone who wants the internet penetration in India to grow. Now Jaipur has finally got its first wifi hotspot at the Sindhi Camp Bus Stand courtesy Data Infosys Ltd which is looking at wifi’ing the entire jaipur city.
Though these citywise initiatives are great I would love to see a national initiative on the wifi front atleast as far as the top 8 metros is concerned. This is because a wifi city would mean if you have a wifi phone or a voip phone which are available internationally then you would be able to make unlimited calls internationally at a fixed monthly wifi fee (thats assuming the wifi access is charged at a fixed monthly fee).
What this may also do is completely remove the operator from the picture and also bring to fore tonnes of voip providers. But again this is wishful thinking as to actually carry out such a mass wifi project requires a big company like reliance or tata to take up the same which they wont as they are operators themselves.
Source : WATBlog
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Delhi metro stations to be Wi-Fi enabled before Commonwealth Games
NEW DELHI: With an aim of giving Delhi hi-tech infrastructure ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth games, the Delhi government has decided to make all the metro stations Wi-Fi enabled.
At places of tourist interest, railway stations, hotels and at Games locations, Wi-Fi kiosks would be set up. “We are exploring the feasibility of launching the Wi-Fi services at all metro stations ahead the 2010 Commonwealth games. This would enable tourists to get wireless net access on laptops or palmtops,” said an official in IT department of Delhi government.
Currently, the state IT department is working on its Wi-Fi pilot project at Connaught Place, South Ex I-II and Nehru place. These faciliteis would be ready by August this year.
The Delhi government has identified bidders including internet and telecom players such as MTNL, Net4 India, Spectranet, Tulip IT Services and Microsense for these projects. Gemini Communications and Velocis Systems have also emerged prospective bidders. Request For Proposals (RFP) will now be invited later for implementing these projects.
According to sources, Wi-Fi at these hotspots may be free of charge and service providers will garner revenue through advertising.
“The initiatives such as unwire Pune project and Delhi to make whole cities Wi-Fi enabled, at low or no costs for citizens, will increase broadband penetration and lead India faster towards the Vision 2020 goal,” said an official.
The IT department is also exploring the feasibility of information dissemination through portals at all places of tourist interest during the Games.
Currently, all Cafe Coffee Day outlets in Kamla Nagar, South Delhi and Barista Espresso Bars in Connaught Place, Janak Puri and South Delhi are Wi-Fi enabled. All Delhi Wi-Fi spots are working on 802.11g Wi-Fi standard.
Source : EconomicTimes
At places of tourist interest, railway stations, hotels and at Games locations, Wi-Fi kiosks would be set up. “We are exploring the feasibility of launching the Wi-Fi services at all metro stations ahead the 2010 Commonwealth games. This would enable tourists to get wireless net access on laptops or palmtops,” said an official in IT department of Delhi government.
Currently, the state IT department is working on its Wi-Fi pilot project at Connaught Place, South Ex I-II and Nehru place. These faciliteis would be ready by August this year.
The Delhi government has identified bidders including internet and telecom players such as MTNL, Net4 India, Spectranet, Tulip IT Services and Microsense for these projects. Gemini Communications and Velocis Systems have also emerged prospective bidders. Request For Proposals (RFP) will now be invited later for implementing these projects.
According to sources, Wi-Fi at these hotspots may be free of charge and service providers will garner revenue through advertising.
“The initiatives such as unwire Pune project and Delhi to make whole cities Wi-Fi enabled, at low or no costs for citizens, will increase broadband penetration and lead India faster towards the Vision 2020 goal,” said an official.
The IT department is also exploring the feasibility of information dissemination through portals at all places of tourist interest during the Games.
Currently, all Cafe Coffee Day outlets in Kamla Nagar, South Delhi and Barista Espresso Bars in Connaught Place, Janak Puri and South Delhi are Wi-Fi enabled. All Delhi Wi-Fi spots are working on 802.11g Wi-Fi standard.
Source : EconomicTimes
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
DLF Plans To WiFi its buildings
Reality major DLF has said that it will be providing WiFi access across its buildings. The WiFi connectivity will be provided by O-Zone.
The Internet is a necessity now for many professionals. I have been wondering for long about the builders providing the Internet connections along with the electricity and water connection. This makes a lot of sense in the newer buildings for the upwardly mobile IT population. I, for one, cannot do without checking my emails and blogs.
The step by DLF is the beginning of what all the other players will be following soon.
The only glitch is the connection speed. In case of one connection shared between the entire building, the bandwidth of the individual connection can go down considerably.
Source : WATBlog
The Internet is a necessity now for many professionals. I have been wondering for long about the builders providing the Internet connections along with the electricity and water connection. This makes a lot of sense in the newer buildings for the upwardly mobile IT population. I, for one, cannot do without checking my emails and blogs.
The step by DLF is the beginning of what all the other players will be following soon.
The only glitch is the connection speed. In case of one connection shared between the entire building, the bandwidth of the individual connection can go down considerably.
Source : WATBlog
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