Market Survey for Smart Wi Fi

I had a detailed discussions with transaction advisor M/s KPMG last Monday. The objective was to create a model through reverse e-auction by inviting interested service providers to cover New Town with "Wi Fi on Demand".

We want, as part of Smart City Plan, to create an infrastructure such that any resident or any visitor or any tourist could get access to Wi Fi at economical rates. Somewhat like electricity connections: you may apply to CESC/WBSECDL/NTESC and you get power for your home and you pay as you consume.

There could be many ways to do this. One way would be to install convertors on mobile towers that convert cellular data to Wi Fi data (many dongles like Docomo, Airtel etc already does this on a small scale). Another way would be to lay optical fibres on road sides and Access Points at strategic places. Yet another way could be use of satellite TV infrastructure (messages are often received in Tata Sky screens). There could even be a combination of these as well as an attempt to use cable TV network and Wi Fi Access Points. The Wi Fi on Demand would, of course, be accessible by all subscribers (irrespective of whether you do or do not subscribe to Vodafone/ BSNL etc) and be ideally giving speeds comparable to fixed broadband but available to the moving person on foot / car/ cycle/ bus/ metro etc. on parks, bus stations roads etc.

KPMG advised us to go for a market study and consult telecom service providers, dish TV operators and others to arrive at a financial model that would work. Thereafter, we could go in for a reverse auction wherein the starting point could be the cost of laying infrastructure (in phase with demand) payable to the operator and sharing the revenue returns anticipated.


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Times of India dt 26 March 2016