According to sources Google's public Wi-Fi project is aiming to capture 40 million new connected users in India by 2019, resulting into at least $20 billion being added to the country's GDP, a top company executive here on Wednesday. K. Suri, Director, Partnership, India, Next Billion Users, Google India, told reporters here that "India is a big market for the next billion users. Wi-Fi is a huge focus area and opportunity in terms of connecting these users".
Suri added while releasing a joint study by Google and global research firm Analysys Mason that public Wi-Fi could play a key role in driving ubiquitous connectivity and digital inclusion in India. Currently Google has partnered with RailTel and Indian Railways to offer public Wi-Fi in railway stations, covering 400 stations with about 7.6 million monthly active Wi-Fi users. The study showed that "Public Wi-Fi will connect 40 million new users to the Internet by 2019 and that would translate into tangible benefits to GDP, by around $20 billion between 2017-19 and at least $10 billion per annum thereafter”.
Moreover the report, titled "Accelerating
connectivity through public Wi-Fi that early lessons from the railway Wi-Fi
project," outlined an opportunity to develop a wider connectivity
ecosystem with public Wi-Fi as a key component. Ashwinder Sethi, Principal
Consultant, Analysys Mason said "By 2019, over 100 million users will
spend an extra $3 billion annually on mobile broadband and handsets because of
their experience of high-speed public Wi-Fi”.
