India is one of the fastest-growing internet markets in the world and the growth has been accelerating. Between 2015 and now, India’s internet user base has grown from 302 million internet subscribers to 750 million. Over the past few years, we have witnessed the rise of Digital India and the concentrated steps taken by the government to deliver reliable and resilient internet access to every part of the nation are driving that movement. The recently launched PM-WANI initiative is another such effort that promises to take the Digital India vision further and eliminate data inequities.
PM-WANI (Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) is a bid to increase broadband proliferation in India and aims to deploy a multitude of Wi-Fi hotspots through the country to increase digital access and drive-up connectivity options. This initiative plans to set up hyper-local focused Wi-Fi networks and access points by local players and micro-businesses (like neighbourhood and Kirana shops) through Public Data Offices and will not need any license, fee, or registration.
It will give a low-cost option to the underserved sections of the nation and lead to the emergence of a more connected country. Access to the internet will not only be useful for commercial and entertainment purposes but will provide an opportunity to improve healthcare by leveraging telemedicine, education, and also agricultural extension amongst other things.
Given that this initiative aims to bypass the red tape and bureaucracy by eliminating licenses and fees, it can result in a massive scale-up of the internet in rural India. It also opens up new income avenues as even a neighborhood micro-businesses can register online as service providers.
PM-WANI is a wonderful effort to build a more connected India and significantly bridge the digital India divide. However, there is always an investment involved to become an ISP even if it is for a small area or locality. These micro-ISPs will have to make some investments to tie up with established internet service providers, they have to set up servers, and wi-fi routers. They also have to get subscriber management and billing management software in place and also set up payment gateways.
Given that we are talking about rural India, it’s clear that this investment has to deliver a significant RoI for schemes such as these to proliferate and prosper. However, with users having expectations for free or extremely low-cost wi-fi, the ability of these new service providers to monetize their services innovatively will become the essential gating factor for the success of the scheme.
Thankfully technology can come to the rescue here as well and present options to help small wi-fi providers monetize their entrepreneurship initiative so that it becomes sustainable and also delivers better returns. Some of the ways to enable rural wi-fi monetization could be as follows
Captive portal monetization
Rural wi-fi service providers can look at captive portal monetization to increase revenue and get an RoI. The service providers can increase revenue inflow by serving advertisements on the captive portal. A captive portal is commonly used to present a log-in or a landing page that may require authentication, present end-user agreements, user policies, payments, etc., and hence becomes the perfect spot to leverage advertising opportunities.
These advertisements can be served in the form of banners and other static ads on the captive portal. Video advertisements on captive portals further improve monetization opportunities where the user has to view a 20-second advertisement to gain access to the wi-fi. This can yield high pay-per-view and generate bigger advertising revenue.
Multi-screen monetization
Just like a captive portal, service providers can also monetize their services by enabling multiple advertisements across multiple screens. So, when a user moves out of the landing page and opens another screen, multiple advertisements can be served to the end-user there as well. Ad links can be set up and monetized by either having the consumer pay when the link is accessed or the advertiser pays for each click on the link.
Entertainment portal monetization
Service providers can capitalize on entertainment portal monetization especially with the rising proliferation of web-based entertainment. These service providers can engage with an OTT portal and redirect users to the specific portal.
These providers can then serve advertisements on these portals along with providing their consumer base with the media. They can then share the revenue generated by advertising and media consumed with the portal and make sure that their coffers do not run dry.
User behaviour analysis
Relevance and context are the pillars of monetization opportunities. User behavior analysis becomes an enabler to serve the right advertisement to the right user. Analytics derived from user behavior provides inputs on preferred ad categories, user demographics, and demographic details. Behavior data make advertising more targeted and relevant and hence monetizable as well.
App-based monetization
The rise of the application economy has impacted rural India as well. There is a growing proliferation of education and fintech applications. A variety of apps use IoT devices to gather information and deliver services. Consequently, there are more monetization opportunities for Wi-Fi service providers by providing the data backbone such apps need.
Learning applications, agriculture-oriented IoT applications like those used for automated pump controls, fintech applications for dairy and milk management, or applications to buy and sell agricultural produce could all use the WiFi networks for a fee. The user data from these applications can also be used for in-app monetization opportunities and run targeted ad campaigns.
In Conclusion
Wi-fi for most of the urban world is now a necessity. Most of the urban population would not hesitate to put it in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, right next to the basic physiological needs of food, water, and shelter. The PM-WANI initiative, if executed correctly has the potential to do the same for the rural areas and bring the advantage of greater access, convenience, and connectivity to a huge, currently underserved demographic. This could become a turning point in rural India’s digital ambitions but much will hinge on the ability of the freshly-minted ISPs to monetize their investments appropriately.
Top 10 Countries with the Fastest Public WiFi
It’s important to stay connected to the world wherever you are. On a bus, a train, a plane or a cruise. When you’re roaming on the streets, your smartphone will constantly notify you about the various public Wi-Fi spots it finds. Each restaurant, drugstore, supermarket, fuel station, clinic and even Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks are offering free public WiFi services. These public Wi-Fi services have now become an important part of customer services everywhere and are some of the fastest public WiFi you can find. Previously, people read magazines or watching TV. Now? Everybody needs a stable and speedy WiFi connection to kill their time!
How can I speed up public WiFi?
If you’re travelling anywhere, your device will connect, disconnect and reconnect to different public hotspots. Some of these Wi-Fi zones have unbelievably fast speed and bandwidth and you’ll be tempted to stay near them. On the other hand, other Wi-Fi spots can be really slow and irritating. They can disconnect your Skype call, hang your emails, buffer your YouTube playlist and disrupt all other connections.
When you’re constantly shifting your position, your device keeps picking up different signals. Some of these signals are broken and have zero connectivity, which can cause your device to go offline. You may have to ‘Forget’ such connections when you connect to them or turn off automatic connectivity. Some people even turn off their Wi-Fi connectivity altogether and have to rely on cellular sim data. In short, it can get really difficult to get stable Wi-Fi connectivity, especially when you’re in foreign countries!
Here are a few ways you can speed up the public Wi-Fi you’re using:
Search your App Store or Play Store to find Wi-Fi connectivity apps. There are apps that can tell you the speed status of different public Wi-Fi hotspots. Some developers have also designed apps that strengthen overall connectivity from different Wi-Fi zones. When you’re in a place with more than one Wi-Fi connection, these apps combine their overall bandwidth for reliable connectivity. The combined bandwidth of even weak spots will somewhat be stronger and stable enough for use.
Another trick is to leave all your WiFi and cellular connections open. On your smartphone, use both cellular data and WiFi so that you have constant connectivity. If you’re using a laptop or computer, try Ethernet and other wired or wireless sources. You should also use a data cap to prevent wasting too much data. This way you won’t lose your connection even when you change between public WiFi hotspots.
Use VPNs for uninterrupted Wi-Fi connectivity.
Where can I get free WIFI fast?
Globally, there are approximately 200 million WiFi service hotspots. The highest number of connections, as well as the highest number of users, are in Europe. Recently, the number of free WiFi service providers, hotspots and users across the world has grown tremendously, thanks to globalization.
Many countries have free Wi-Fi even in remote country areas. It helps people stay closely connected even in times of crisis and chaos. Not only are their public Wi-Fi services speedy, but they’re also generally quite safe. Here are the top ten countries with the fastest public WiFi service.
1. Lithuania
Lithuania tops the list of counties with the fastest WiFi speeds. It offers the fastest public WiFi services and has spread the reach of WiFi to its remotest areas as well. In Lithuania, you can get more than 15 Mbps to download speeds and almost 14 Mbps upload speed!
2. Croatia
Croatians provides one of the fastest public WiFi services in the world. Nearly all of their shops, salons, libraries, clinics, transport stations and offices have mandatory free Wi-Fi. The high use of Wi-Fi really helps with smoother administrative operations. The average upload speed in Croatia is around 11mbps. Their download speed is almost 14 mbps!
3. Estonia
Estonia is another country in the North of Europe, on the east coast of the Baltic sea. Closely followed by Croatia, Estonia also offers excellent free public WiFi. On average, Estonian Wi-Fi hotspots have download speeds of 14 Mbps and an upload speed of 12 Mbps.
4. Ireland
Ireland has also worked hard to significantly improve the digital lives of its people. In Ireland, you can get WiFi download speeds of 11.5 Mbps and an upload speed of 5 Mbps.
5. Romania
Romania is another country that has two amazing advantages for tourists; breathtaking views, and superb Wi-Fi speeds. On average, Romanians can enjoy 11 Mbps download and 7 Mbps upload speeds!
6. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is also remarkable in its path of digital developments. An average British user in the UK has access to 11 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload speeds.
7. Denmark
Among other achievements, this Scandinavian country has also marked itself as one of the top countries in the world for WiFi, offer some of the fastest free services. You can avail around 10 Mbps download and almost 6 Mbps upload speeds on an average public Wi-Fi hotspot.
8. Hungary
Hungary has nearly the same download speed as Denmark, at around 10mbps in downloads. However, it lags behind in its upload speed, which is almost 4 Mbps. However, the Wi-Fi connections in Hungary are relatively stable and safe for public use.
9. Belgium
Despite its minimal land size and tiny population, you’d be amazed to know that WiFi services in Belgium are pretty good. You can avail around 10 Mbps download and 4 Mbps upload speeds!
10. Slovenia
In Slovenia, the maximum download speed you can get in a little less than 10 Mbps. However, the upload speeds for WiFI in Slovenia are around 6 Mbps, which is much faster than many other countries.
Who has the fastest WiFi?
Globally, the average Wi-Fi connection speed is 7.2 Mbps. South Korea is ahead of all other countries in this regard. The average WiFi and internet connectivity in South Korea is around 28.6 Mbps! The South Korean government has consistently worked to expand the reach of its Wi-Fi services. Almost all South Koreans enjoy the facility in public spaces such as schools, universities, offices, hospitals, libraries, etc.
Which restaurant has the fastest WIFI?
When you’re a frequent traveller, you become an expert at finding the best WiFi spots. Coffee shops such as Starbucks, bistros, restaurants and fancy diners all have public WiFi services. However, not every coffee shop or fast-food joint has the equal performance. McDonald’s is known as the best restaurant for fastest WiFi connection and speeds. If you’re lucky, you can get more than 24 Mbps WiFi speed in the fast-food giant’s restaurants all over the world. However, you should be aware that speeds vary greatly depending on how many people are using it. On a busy day, the speed can go down to around 6 Mbps.
Where to Find Fastest Free Public WiFi Hotspots
Retail Stores
One of the best places for free WiFi is definitely your nearest retail store. Microsoft, Apple, IKEA, Tesco’s, Target, Walmart, Walgreen’s are all places where you can sneak in to get some free Wi-Fi service.
Restaurants
Restaurants such as McDonald’s, KFC, Panera Bread, Subway, Taco Bell, Whole Foods, and others also find it necessary to include WiFi in their services. It isn’t hard to find a restaurant that offers both good food and good WiFi, especially if you are in an urban centre.
Public Libraries
If you have a public library near you, it’s literally the best place for free public WiFi. The downside to this is that you’ll have to be extremely quiet or else you might get kicked out!
Coffee Shops
You’ll find almost every coffee shop such as Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and Dunkin’ Donuts also offer free public WiFi to all passersby and customers. Early morning, you can grab a cup of latte and find a cozy place to sit at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks and finish your work using their WiFi.