OpenSignal has revealed the time spend by mobile Internet users on Wifi network by Indian telecom operators recently.
Time on Wifi by operator
Jio 8.2%
Idea 24.1%
Telenor 24.3%
Aircel 24.9%
Airtel 27.1%
Reliance 28.1%
Tata Docomo 30.4%
BSNL 31.1%
Vodafone 31.3%
The research found that Jio users are spending less time on Wifi connections today because they are getting enough free data. Usually Indian mobile Internet users opt for Wifi coverage to improve their broadband experience.
“It will be interesting to see if that mindset changes once Jio’s free-4G promotion expires in March,” said OpenSignal in a blog post.
The OpenSignal report indirectly reveals that Jio’s 52 million customers are not finding any alternative high speed network for Wifi use from rival telecom network operators such as Airtel, Idea Cellular or Vodafone.
ALSO READ: Free 4G means Jio users have little need for Wifi
Reliance Jio Infocomm, which is making an investment of $20 billion on 4G networks, has extended its free 4G data till March 31, 2017. But Jio customers will get 1 GB of free 4G data per day against 4 GB earlier. Reliance Jio has 52 million 4G customers and it’s targeting to achieve 100 million during the current financial year.
OpenSignal’s recent Global State of Mobile Networks report shows that in 46 countries smartphone users spend more time connected to Wifi than they do to mobile data networks like 3G and 4G.
OpenSignal has produced the Wifi use report based on the actual response from 70,000 Jio smartphone users who started downloading OpenSignal’s test app. The report is for a period of three months between September 1 and November 30.
Jio users connected to Wifi networks on average 8.2 percent of the time. That’s well below India’s 29.8 percent average time on Wifi from its global report.
Why is Jio’s Wifi number so low?
One of the drivers of Wifi usage on the smartphones is the cost of the mobile data. If mobile phone users have an expensive data plan, they tend to look for cheaper connections to offset their mobile bill and in most cases Wifi is the option. If the customers get 4 GB of free data on 4G network daily for no additional charge, there’s not much incentive to seek out a Wifi link.
The report said mobile Internet users tend to gravitate toward the fastest connections as services like video streaming perform better on high-bandwidth broadband links. When Internet users are on the slow 2G or 3G data connections, smartphone users will hunt for Wifi to improve their data experience.
ALSO READ: India’s broadband speed grew 14 percent
India’s broadband speed grew 14 percent quarter on quarter and 62 percent year on year to 4.1 Mbps. But India’s position based on broadband speed is 105 in the global telecom markets, according to Akamai.
Wifi is only good as the broadband link that serves it, and India’s average broadband speeds are the slowest in Asia. Since Jio’s users are by default contending with 4G networks only, they have little incentive to seek out Wifi, especially if those Wifi connections might turn out slower than LTE.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
