Social media and mobile: The state of India’s wifi connection

India is at the brink of a massive change in terms of their wifi connection. Proof of this is a news that India’s state government is planning to deploy public wifi in the 94.5 kilometer stretch of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well as a 706-kilometer “Communication Super Highway” that connects Nagpur to Mumbai.

Growing number of internet users

The country’s need for connectivity can be reflected in these statistics: by 2020, India will have an estimated 730 million internet users which are more than double the 2015 count of 350 million. Moreover, 75 percent of new internet users in India will hail from rural areas while a majority of 75 percent of new users will consume data in local languages.

Even US-based tech giants are seeing an opportunity due to a large number of Indians getting connected. Tech behemoth, Facebook, has made numerous efforts to penetrate the Indian market (and gain more Facebook users) through offering free Wifi through a program called “Express Wifi.”

 

The Verge reported that the program lets phone owners in India “purchase data from local internet service providers.” In addition to this, Facebook will provide software to help out local ISPs and entrepreneurs to sell and provide internet service in rural areas which could be accessed via public wifi hotspots. Previously, Facebook offered free internet in India with “Free Basics” but faced regulatory hurdles and it was eventually banned by the Indian government.

Cause of India’s wifi connection growth

There are several reasons why India is experiencing a boom in connectivity:

• Social media

In 2012, social media users in India totaled to 62 million and this is only for urban areas. Social media sites are visited by 86 percent of the population and 217 minutes spent on Facebook. Popular sites included LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

• Mobility

Affordable smartphones and improvements in phone features are available in India and the youth are “getting tuned” into the trend. The source said that 4G and second-hand smart devices are expected to transform media consumption in India.

• Online shopping

Online shopping is growing at a fast rate in India, with 60 percent of users visiting retail sites. Indian retailers such as Myntra, Flipkart, and Jabong are doing well in the segment and e-commerce sites such as olx.com and Amazon.in are aggressive in its marketing and advertising campaigns to sell goods online. A wide array of items is for sale from apparel, furniture, computers and electronics. The heaviest users, according to the report, are women aged between 35 to 44, while the age bracket in men is between 25 to 34 years old.

• Entertainment sites and online videos

The source added that 27 percent of internet users in India visit an entertainment site and 31.5 percent of these are viewing videos through Google. YouTube is a popular site, together with Facebook, Yahoo, and Dailymotion. Meanwhile, local content is uploaded to Youtube and contains mostly Bollywood videos.

Better means of connectivity at home

India has so much potential for growth when it comes to connectivity and what better way to enjoy the wonders of the internet right at home? 5BARz International (OTCQB: BARZ), a company that provides cutting edge wireless solutions, came out with ROVR, a wifi router that delivers innovations for next-generation digital homes in emerging markets such as India.

The ROVR is equipped with intuitive features and functionalities that enable wifi users to smartly monitor, manage, and control their home networks while at home or away. Among its key features are its dual backhaul, power backup, mini wifi instances for each member, customizable bandwidth, and data usage, remote monitoring, alerts, and advanced IoT capabilities which can be customized with the 5BARz Smart Experience connectivity suite.

Samartha Nagabushanam, CEO of 5BARz India said, “The ROVR is a game changer for the Indian market with features that are very advanced and beyond what is currently accessible to many homes. Using this product with these advanced capabilities gives you an altogether different smart experience.—

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