Is 4G Over Wi-Fi What India Needs?

Although high speed mobile broadband has the potential to unlock many opportunities on the move, many Internet subscribers aren't availing of broadband itself --be it wireline or otherwise. As per a press release issued by the TRAI on 11 January 2013, the share of broadband subscription in total Internet subscription decreased from 62.74% at the end of Jun 2012 to 61.16% at the end of September 2012.

In other words, more than one third of the Internet connections in India are still not broadband connections. There is nothing denying that high-speed mobile broadband is highly desirable but the procurement cost of devices, in addition to the tariffs itself, have been preventing many potential subscribers from enjoying the benefits.

Wi-Fi is capable of delivering the same bit rates as 4G

With 4G being rolled out, developments are expected to ease the burden on the subscriber's pocket. Wi-Fi routers can make 4G service cost-effective for the end-user. Also, Wi-Fi is more than capable of delivering the same bit rates as 4G. ZTE will be coming out with one such device having a 2800 mAh battery and capable of sharing a 4G/3G/2G connection over Wi-Fi ( http://ld2.in/4gy). The device is stated to support mainstream 4G bands in the Asia-Pacific region (among others). Airtel's 4G has been rolled out in a few citi es, whereas Reliance and Aircel are reported to be in the process. Tablets that are Wi-Fi only come much cheaper than those with embedded 3G modules and users of such tablets will highly benefit from such Wi-Fi routers, which are typically small enough to be considered portable.

TRAI's Performance Indicator Report also states that as of the quarter ending September 2012, the number of wireless subscribers has increased past the number

of dialup subscribers, thus becoming the second most widely used technology for Internet (narrowband and broadband both included) access with DSL retaining the

first spot. Hence, now there is a sizable number of people who have hardware capable of wireless Internet access. However, when it comes to broadband exclusively, wireless drops to the fourth place at 3.32%, behind DSL at 84.37%, Ethernet LAN at 6.30% and cable modem at 5.31%, which highlight the room for improvement in providing high-speed broadband service to users who already have the required hardware.

It does remain to be seen as to how long will the battery of these Wi-Fi routers last when accessing a 4G network. Successful rollout of 4G also requires having a high capacity fiber optic backbone across India, which not all operators have deployed yet.