By Claus Hetting, WiFi NOW CEO & Chairman
It has been pretty much a foregone conclusion for a while (we wrote about it here) but today, the government of India finally formally released the lower 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi operations. The new Wi-Fi spectrum constitutes a huge opportunity for Indian businesses and consumers to enjoy indoor Wi-Fi speeds and services at par with most of the rest of the world. It’s also a multi-billion dollar business opportunity for service providers and vendors.
India is the world’s second-largest Internet connectivity market with more than 1 billion users and now finally, India’s predominantly young population can look forward to much faster indoor Wi-Fi. Today, India’s Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia officially delicensed the lower 6 GHz band according to this news report from the Economic Times of India.
The Indian 6 GHz Wi-Fi opportunity is staggering in size. India’s consumer market is on track to become the world’s third largest and is expected to reach some US$ 3 trillion by 2027, CNBC estimates in this report. In addition India comprises a very large and relatively young middle class that has grown up with tech and of course expects to be well connected.
Add to this India’s own growing tech industry, today home to the research and development arms of many major Wi-Fi vendors and also some of the world’s most innovative service providers – such as Reliance Jio – as well as a few home-grown Wi-Fi equipment vendors.
The Indian market will be most welcoming to Wi-Fi vendors offering kit at affordable price points – such as many China-based providers of both consumer and enterprise Wi-Fi equipment. But the 6 GHz decision should also offer a revenue boost to large tri-band Wi-Fi chipset providers, for example.
At WiFi NOW we’re of course delighted – and we’re also proud to have been supporting the regulatory process from the beginning, exerting (we hope) at least a little influence in the direction of the final positive 6 GHz decision. WiFi NOW organised this special event in 2020 to support the cause. It can still be viewed on demand and is still worth watching for those interested in understanding the Indian Wi-Fi market.
Congratulations to the people of India who will soon experience a huge boost to their Wi-Fi experience!
/Claus.
