The Hindu Business Line : Wi-Fi business is untapped: Study

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Bangalore Jan. 21 There is huge untapped opportunity for the Wi-Fi business in India. The booming retail sector, enthusiastic Government and innovative software firms and academia will see the market rise to $744 million by 2012. According to a study conducted by Wi-Fi Alliance, the overall Indian Wi-Fi market (excluding embedded devices and laptops) is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 61.4 per cent from the current $41.6 million to over $744 million by 2012. The study was carried out by Bangalore-based telecom research firm Tonse Telecom.

Hotspots

Currently, there are about 1,000 hotspots in the country, a small portion of the 1.32-lakh hotspots in the world. "Wi-fi has opportunity in the retail sector in India with the addition of over 50 million sq ft in this industry. Railway stations are also unwiring their cafeterias and mobile PoS (point of sale) systems are common in petrol bunks and cafes now. These are just indicators of potential usage of Wi-Fi in the country," said Mr Sridhar T. Pai, CEO, Tonse Telecom.

However, there are challenges such as roaming-related problem, billing issues, deregulation of VoWiFi and decision on spectrum release. "There is also a lack of awareness of Wi-Fi standards, security and capability that we are trying to address," said Mr Frank Hanzlik, Managing Director, Wi-Fi Alliance. The report adds that as broadband wireless access grows, the WLAN network gear sector is projected to exceed $275 million by 2011-12 from current $23.1 million. The full report will be available by February.

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Wi-Fi business is untapped: Study