Not often is Wi-Fi access thought to be a significant access mechanism for smartphone users in India. Ozone Networks wants to change that.
Ozone Networks will allow mobile phone users to connect to any of their free Wi-Fi hotspots automatically, through an app, which will show free zones in any area.
Ozone is India’s largest public Wi-Fi provider. “The app will make public Wi-Fi ubiquitous and seamless for customers and manual log-ins every time will not be required any more to access high-speed Wi-Fi at all our locations,” said Pallab Mitra, chief operating officer at Ozone Networks.
Ozone Networks says it will “deploy Wi-Fi all over the country,” says Sanjeev Bobby Sarin. “We are targeting 700-900 million people who cannot afford broadband on their own.”
Ozone has already deployed 6,500 access points, including 1,500 public hotspots in 26 different cities and aims to reach one million hotspots by 2020.
On the other hand, Ozone is going to have to contend with networks being built byTata Tele, Vodafone India and MTS, mobile service providers that also see the value of Wi-Fi access as a way of supporting mobile Internet access provided directly by the core mobile networks.
