BSNL ropes in Google to strengthen Wi-Fi foothold in India

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has joined hands with internet major Google to expand its WiFi Footprint in the country.

The telco said that initiative will help the customers to use BSNL high-speed internet services on WiFi.

"We have been partnering with various technology companies upgrading our platforms and increasing our customer reach in this era of the ever increasing demand of high-speed internet," BSNL Director (CFA) BSNL Board Vivek Banzal said.

The telco said that it is also taking steps to increase the rural WiFi footprint promoting the government initiative of 'Digital India'.

Google had joined hands with Railtel to offer to high-speed Wi-Fi at train stations.

According to report by research firm Analysys Mason despite fast increases in a number of people connected (316 million at the end of 2017, compared to 200 million the previous year), mobile broadband penetration in India stood at only 31 percent at the end of 2017, still significantly behind many of India's peers.

The report found that around 100 million people would be willing to spend an additional $2 to 3 billion per year on handsets and cellular mobile broadband services, as a result of experiencing fast broadband on public Wi-Fi. In addition to driving productivity improvements from high-speed Wi-Fi for the overall economy, public Wi-Fi can also translate into tangible benefits to GDP, by around $20 billion between 2017-19 and at least $10 billion per annum thereafter.

The report further highlights that the Investment in public Wi-Fi can further unlock an opportunity for Mobile operators to offload excess data traffic from cellular networks, and deploy advanced technologies such as Hotspot 2.0 for ensuring interoperable roaming between cellular and Wi-Fi.

Highlights

State-run telecom operator BSNL has joined hands with internet major Google to expand its WiFi Footprint in the country.

The telco said that initiative will help the customers to use BSNL high-speed internet services on WiFi.