Channels betting big on WiFi

Within the channel community, systems integrators are quite upbeat about wireless networking adoption in the country and are sure that their business will grow as it increases.

Sunil Agarwal, MD, Intra-Tech Computers, says, "It's quite exciting for us to see this kind of change. Wireless is surely picking up and there is a lot of activity, which is all driven by the need of a user to be connected all the time." 

A wireless movement is underway dotting Hotspots in India, which will let one access the Internet while standing on the pavement or sitting in a nearby cafe. At Delhi, Indira Gandhi International Airport is slated to get WiFi access soon and some other metropolitan airports in the country are likely to follow suit. Many five-star hotels and top notch educational institutions are installing wireless nodes.

Sagar Mehdi, MD of Lucknow-based Arco IT Division, says, "This is going to be a big opportunity for system integrators. Though not much is happening in this region, technology is spreading and soon there will be a lot of demand for this. This area is not so occupied as of now so there are good business opportunities over here."

Although wireless Net access is available at marketing departments and from coffee shops to Taj Group of Hotels, the technology is particularly getting popular with educational institutions. This is because, for them, wireless Hotspots mean easy and affordable Internet access for their students within the campus. Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB) has already embraced WiFi within its campus and all the students can have uninterrupted Internet access from anywhere.

According to Sunil M Vastawat, MD of Udaipur-based Netcom, wireless adoption is being done at a growing pace and this is due to tremendous customer demand.

ZIA ASKARI

NEW DELHI