Advertisment

Can remote access be the answer to India’s slow internet challenge?

India’s slow internet challenge isn’t just a problem for the people of the country, but it is a problem for the economy of the world

author-image
DQINDIA Online
New Update
Slow internet

India is a country with diverse socio-economic dynamics where life in highly populated cities—the infrastructure, culture, lifestyle, and cost of living—is staggeringly different from that of smaller cities, towns, and villages. While cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad enjoy high-speed broadband, most tier II and tier III locations have to endure narrow bandwidth internet and slow mobile data plans. Slow internet is quite a common problem in the country.

Advertisment

Furthermore, Internet speeds in Indian cities are not on par with global standards. In fact, they’re not even close. To put things in perspective, let’s review statistics from June 2019. According to internet testing and data analysis company Ookla, India ranked 126th out of 140 countries in mobile internet speed. While the global download average was 27.44 Mbps, India’s mobile internet download speed stood at 10.87 Mbps. In terms of broadband speed, India ranked 74th with 29.06 Mbps as compared with a global average of 59.45 Mbps.

Even in Asia, developed economies are much further ahead than India. South Korea has, in fact, the top mobile internet position in the world with an average download speed of 90.06 Mbps. Singapore has the fastest broadband in Asia with an average download speed of 195.988 Mbps.

Challenges of Slow Internet

Advertisment

While internet penetration is steadily increasing in rural India (where 75% of the population lives), it is still slow and poses challenges for users doing business in smaller cities, towns and villages.

Basic reliable connectivity is not available at the workplace for either the small business or the large corporation. As a result, Indian companies face costly disruptions, lack tech support and timely troubleshooting, and experience slow or no growth. Further, the country’s entrepreneurs are hampered in their efforts to successfully enter the digital arena. While the world talks about digital transformation, collaboration, and the Internet of Things, Indian businesses are being left behind.

Beyond the physical workplace, slow internet connections pose still another significant economic barrier of note. It is my observation that freelancers and those working from home face daily hardships due to inadequate and inconsistent internet service. Indeed, the problem prevents these workers from fully participating in the gig economy. As the growing number of remote workers can attest, tools necessary for modern-day businesses include streaming, video on-demand, and voice and video communication. These, among others, require the performance only high-speed internet access can deliver.

Advertisment

Remote Access Solutions to the Rescue

While businesses in India wait, internet and telecom companies work towards making 4G and 5G networks accessible in this country. It is a feat that will most certainly take time and most certainly require an acceptable level of affordability for average Indians.

For small businesses or freelancers currently without access or means to utilize a fast internet connection, there are, however, effective alternate tools that can help mitigate those limitations. A seamless and affordable solution can be found in remote access technology. The question is, how?

Advertisment

As many are now learning, solutions made possible by remote access technology are the hero of this story. Remote Access Solutions have vastly improved on technology introduced 20 years ago and now can immediately connect users to computers or networks from anywhere in the world—anytime. The result is that businesspeople—whether on-site or at home—can collaborate and communicate with customers, hold online meetings, work on shared documents, transfer files between computers, record sessions, and much more. Choosing a solution with high-level security built in, 24/7 support, and the lowest possible latency is key to the best possible performance. (Latency refers to the time required for a computer or mobile device to transmit data over the internet and to receive a response.)

This game-changing technology means businesses—small or large—can be on the job anytime, anywhere. Less obvious benefits extend to equipment maintenance (accomplished remotely) and reduced travel, as users connect with clients in a way that is fast, convenient—and ecologically-friendly.

Bridging the Gap

Advertisment

In today’s India, remote access solutions can bridge a much-needed gap to increased productivity and quality of life. With the knowledge and the availability of this advancement in technology, it is possible for India’s highly-trained and motivated workforce to conduct business seamlessly, collaborate with partners, pursue customers across the globe, increase efficiencies, seek support, save time, conserve fuel, and—in the end—step into a heretofore unachievable and unimaginable future.

By Oldrich Muller, Chief Operating Officer, AnyDesk

Advertisment