My recent article in telecomlead got me quite a
number of queries from the readers – primary question being how can WiFihelp the
telecom operators and whether they are open to adopting WiFi?
Well, WiFi was earlier definitely looked upon as a
competition by the wireless operators. But today, slowly and steadily, the
operators have realized the importance of WiFi in their business. WiFi is being
looked at as a facilitator and an enabler, and it is becoming a part of the
service offerings.In fact, many operators are open to actively manage it and
are even making it as part of their 3G/4G network. But apprehensions and doubts
are still there.
Can operators have control over WiFi?
The biggest worry of the operators regarding WiFi is that
they will no longer have any control of the quality of the service to the
consumers, once they move on from 3G or 4G to WiFi. The fear is valid to an
extent as people still see WiFi as the wireless access to internet inside the
house or inside a coffee; and when one thinks of providing it through an
operator’s network, fear and doubts set in. But there are ways to take care of
that issue too. The best approach would be not to deploy standalone hot-spot
networks, instead integrate all and create a central point of control over all
the access points. That way operator can have a control of the WiFi service and
can ensure the quality of the service provided to their consumers.
Why should operators adopt WiFi?
Many of the operators still ask whether it would make
business sense to adopt WiFi. Lokking at the benefits offered, it would not be
far-fetched to say that WiFi definitely makes a sound business sense for the
operators. The main reasons seem to be the spectrum scarcity and the fact that
WiFi can help with the bandwidth crunch. Basically they are looking at offloading
in populated areas like a mall, stadiums etc; as the money and effort saved
would be immense. Adopting WiFi in such cases is beneficial both for the users
as well the operators.
WiFi and security
Earlier the organizations were little apprehensive of
security associated with WiFi. The general perception was that a careless
employee might open the organizations to security breaches via rogue access
points. But things have changed now, and people have realized that WiFi offers
great security measures.
WiFi is based on IEEE 802.11i standard which specifies
the security mechanism for wireless network. This standard enables the laying
of robust security network by introducing strong encryption authentication
process. So basically when you adopt WiFi you are ensured of a secured network.
Another usual complaint was that you have to keep on
inserting your passwords to implement WiFi security. But today the
authentication processes have gone to the level at the access point
automatically makes out whether you are an authorized user and gives you access
accordingly.
Can operators make money via WiFi?
WiFi is usually looked upon as free service, and
operators usually get confused as to how would the consumers react once they
see WiFi as a paid service. But looking at the experience and reaction of the
subscribers, mainly in USA, one can safely say that consumers are willing to
pay if they are ensured of high quality services. American operators are
providing WiFi as part of the consumers’ subscription package, and they are
certainly not complaining. The same mode can be adopted in India too.
WiFi enables operators to save money
The best part about WiFi is that it enables the operators
to save money. Laying the WiFi infrastructure is far less than cost of the cellular
equipment. So in highly populated and high traffic areas it would definitely
make sense to offload the mobile traffic to WiFi.
WiFi operates on unlicensed spectrum, hence it frees up
the spectrum for 3G and 4G users. So you can well imagine the amount of money
it helps the operators save.
Conclusion
WiFi makes complete sense for the telecom operators. Be
it to save money or ensure better service for the customers – WiFi looks like a
safe bet for the operators.
By Kaushik Phukan, PMO, HCL
editor@telecomlead.com