Speed Fetch provides an example of a specialized approach to mobility apps and access, based on use of public Wi-Fi hotspots. Though some might question the usefulness of Wi-based mobile services, Speed Fetch provides one example of some ways that might happen.
Operating in India with public access provided by Ozone, the Wi-Fi hotspot operator, Speed Fetch positions itself as a content service heavy on TV and games.
One might be tempted to say Speed Fetch is a sort of Netflix: its business is content delivery. Like Netflix, Speed Fetch, which advertises lightning-fast downloads, has had to create a distribution mechanism. That is where Ozone comes in, as its public Wi-Fi hotspots can support downloads as fast as 300 Mbps in principle, 60 Mbps sometimes, and actual speeds can vary between 15 and 30 Mbps.
Speed Fetch is available at Aurobindo Market in Hauz Khas, Apollo Hospital in Jasola, Ambience Mall, Food Court, Gurgaon, Mumbai Airport, PVR Cinema in Gurgaon, Tehkhand, Okhla, Barista, Gurgaon.
Speed Fetch also offers free content ranging from games, movies, Hollywood and Bollywood gossip, cookery shows and religious videos.
“Speed and free content set Speed Fetch apart,” said founder Dipank Sharma. Speed Fetch uses content caching to speed delivery, as well.
Speed Fetch expects to generate revenue from video advertising, ad engines and advertising space on the Speed Fetch app.
Ozone’s WiFi zones allow users to download the content provided by Speed Fetch for free for a day regardless of the usage.
However, consumers will have to pick up hourly, daily or weekly data usage packs after the first 20 minutes, in case they want to use the internet.
Speed Fetch wants to build out coveraget to 20,000 locations with access to 50 million consumers, eventually.
In the near term, it plans to expand operations to 5,000 locations across India by the year end and reach a customer base of two million.
Some might say the novelty here is the creation of a new niche or market segment within the access and content ecosystem, specifically “content downolading to support offline use.”
