RIL (Reliance Industries Limited), India’s largest private sector and the only company to have a PAN India license for broadband services , announced that Ericsson AB will be building, developing and integrating WiFi with its 4G network.
Sources who are part of the deal claimed that this would gain ground in Mumbai and Delhi initially and may later reach out to other cities after the launch. Ericson, based on this deal, will set up around 200 WiFi hotspots. They also revealed that the 4G serviceswould roll out in Delhi and Mumbai first in early 2013.
Be it for 3G or LTE, WiFi plays a pivotal role. A telecommunication company that has only 5MHz spectrum for 3G will require a WiFi to devolve its traffic owing to insufficiency. In case of 4G, it will be used for the provision of superior coverage besides offloading traffic.
The BelAir Networks acquisition enabled Ericsson to up its ante, paving way for a powerful carrier grade Wi-Fi portfolio, increased technical know- how , IPR and strengthening its relationship and contracts with consumers. Carrier grade Wi-Fi is sophisticated when drawn a parallel with other Wi-Fi networks as it can be deployed on a wider scale and is designed specifically to cater to the needs of service providers. It is also the first one to have an access point enabling it to integrate Wi-Fi with cellular. This acquisition will offer it an edge over other traditional base station vendors. Jegdling, Ericsson’s region head for India in one of his latest interviews, mentioned that the company has been lately focusing on enhancing its WiFi services in India.
Reliance 4G services are highly awaited. Other than Bharti that has already launched its 4G services in Kolkatta and Bengaluru, a few other competitors in the telecom arena include Aircel Ltd. And Tikona Digital Networks Pvt. Ltd. However, there are chances it may lead the battle with its acquisition of 2G spectrum and offer data cum voice services to its consumers.