India’s Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or BSNL as it is most commonly known has just announced a plan to invest a whopping Rs 7000 crore into establishing 3G and 4G Wi-Fi hotspots within the country. The state-owned telecom operator is hoping that the facilities will be fully established within a span of just two to three years.
If you’ll recall, BSNL has already rolled out its Wi-Fi facilities in Varanasi, and moreover, it’s planning on doing the same at other tourist spots in the nation by the end of 2015. Chairman and Managing Director of the telecom operator, Anupam Shrivatava mentioned that there are plans to have 2500 Wi-Fi hotspots in India by the end of this financial year.
Citing that Wi-Fi is an ‘obvious choice’ for BSNL going forward, Shrivatava said that it alone cannot be successful. It’s hence that there is the need to integrate it with 3G and 4G networks. This is exactly where the amounts from the Rs 7000 crore fund are meant to be spent.
According to a PTI report cited by The Economic Times, the telecom operator has also announced a partnership with QuadGen Wireless for setting up Wi-Fi hotspots under a revenue share model. This firm will be active only in the South and West zones, while other companies will be chosen for the remaining territories.
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QuadGen Wireless founder and chairman, C S Rao has mentioned that BSNL is in the best position to provide instant bandwidth at the moment. Rao also said that following the recent telecom spectrum auction, the participants will take some time to invest in their newly acquired airwaves.
It’s hence that he believes that BSNL now has an 18-month window of opportunity to expand its Wi-Fi network.