Top software companies are vying for bringing wireless technologies to India,
hence promising seamless connectivity for all users with the help of a high
speed 3G network.
While several technologies are still being debated over, the one that's
already successful in international markets and is soon to be launched in India
is Qualcomm's Gobi2000. It promises great speed and varied choice at an
affordable price.
Embedded wireless connectivity is becoming widely recognized for its
advantages-both for enterprises and consumers. Amidst this, the Gobi solution
will allow PC users to access multiple operators worldwide. It will provide
business users with extensive wireless broadband access-both on the domestic and
international front-and leverage wide availability of both EVDO and HSPA
wireless networks around the world.
Termed as 'built-in mobile broadband technology that connects your notebook
to the Internet at 3G speeds', businesses deploying Gobi technology will be able
to converge multiple networks on a single hardware platform that can be deployed
globally.
Moreover, each region will have the flexibility to provide 3G connectivity as
and when needed, and to its preferred carrier, based on the coverage and pricing
plans available in its home network.
In addition, if an employee relocates to a different region, or is traveling
outside the home coverage area, this technology will enable to switch carriers
without having to swap data cards and/or reinvest in a new laptop, hence
reducing the costs to deploy 3G.
The Gobi Advantage
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However, with 3G playing hide-and-seek in India, this technology may have to
be put on the back-burner for the time being. Instead, Wi-Fi is being touted as
the remedy, and this is where private Indian operators hold a chance. They can
tie up with international software companies to bring about a Wi-Fi revolution
in the country.
One such example is Tata Communications Internet Services (TCISL) that has
tied up with Tomizone, an Auckland based international Wi-Fi solutions provider,
to introduce high-definition, real-time videoconferencing in India.
Another benefit of this service is that besides personal usage, customers
will also get an opportunity to utilize their unused bandwidth by offering it to
others, in return for credit of Internet surfing time on their account, thus
subsidizing the cost of their broadband connection.
Tomizone has powered similar deployments in countries such as Australia, New
Zealand, and China. A similar type of partnership in UK, helped increase the
number of hotspots to over half a million in the country, providing an
indication of the accelerated growth such associations can fuel.
As India has one of the lowest broadband penetration in the world-estimated
at about 0.6%, with 6.62 mn subscribers as on June 2009-newer Wi-Fi solutions
such as these are much-needed steps for expansion of broadband connectivity in
the country.
That said, there could be no better time for deploying this service, as India
is expected to have 214 mn broadband subscribers by 2014, as predicted in a CII
and IMRB broadband report.
Beryl M
berylm@cybermedia.co.in