Monetizing Wi-Fi is slightly different from monetizing 3G

On the latest technological development in the Wi-Fi space...

The latest Wi-Fi standard is 802.11ac. In 802.11ac, there are two waves-the first wave delivers up to 1gigabit per second, the second wave goes up to 6 gigabits per second.

The chipset technology is available only for wave one and products are being developed currently.

Other significant technological development in the Wi-Fi space is the ‘Hotspot 2.0'. It is promoted by the Wi-Fi Alliance and Wireless Broadband Alliance. Hotspot 2.0 connects without any password or Wi-Fi SSIDs. It authenticates automatically. Accessing Wi-Fi gets as simple as getting onto cellular.

Wi-Fi 2.0 is available on iOS 7 and on Samsung Galaxy devices.

Hotspot 2.0 is a foundation technology that allows for automatic roaming between Wi-Fi and cellular.

Is monetization on Wi-Fi networks a concern? How is Ruckus Wireless facilitating service providers to enhance monetization?

Monetizing Wi-Fi is slightly different from monetizing 3G. In Wi-Fi, enterprises are the major source of revenue. SPs have to monetize by providing value added services/location-based services.

Ruckus Wireless has rolled out ‘Smart Positioning,' a location-based services. Based on Wi-Fi networks, we can track the proximity of devices up to three meters even devices are not connected. Using this location data, we provide APIs for our partners to build applications. And they can encash through location-based advertisements.

Currently, we are working with a few players to provide location-based services (LBS). In India, we are yet to work with partners to provide LBS. We provide some basic capabilities like real-time mapping and analytics reports through which they can monetize. In addition to this, we are working with ecosystem players to build more specific applications, for example healthcare and airport related applications.

What is your perception on the Wi-Fi future prospects in India?

The other wireless technologies like 2G/3G and 4G need spectrum. India is a large country and the availability of spectrum for cellular data is inadequate. The majority of the demographic group is youth who are completely acquainted with mobile Internet. Wi-Fi is going to be a very significant source of data service for the Indian population. This is also evident from the efforts that are going into Wi-Fi. The Indian technology market is moving away from being reactive to proactive and investments are also increasing
Besides, in the last five years, the Wi-Fi market in India has expanded significantly.