Bharti Airtel, one of the largest cellular service providers in India, is all set to enter into the WiFi space next week by launching hotspots across the nation. Presently, Tata Communications is the market leader in this segment with over 500 hotspots across the nation in strategic places like hotels, airports and cafes, while state-owned BSNL is also in the process of setting up WiFi hotspots across the country. A hotspot is any place that offers wireless internet access to a person carrying a notebook (laptop) or a WiFi enabled smart phone.
Initially, this facility will be made available to only existing Airtel broadband customers. The company is planning to launch more than 1000 hotspots across the nation by end of 2010. Airtel WiFi hotspots will be strategically located at leading premium hotels, hospitals, chains of restaurants, coffee shops and corporate buildings that are the hub of corporate, community and social activities. The WiFi hotspots will be useful to people who are on the go; however, it has stiff competition from data cards which are hugely popular right now.
Bharti Airtel would aggressively target business establishments to sell its WiFi services. Pricing plans for access are not yet available, however, it should be in an affordable range, considering that Tata is already there, and BSNL is planning to come out with a similar service.
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