Going Places: VSNL to offer Wi-Fi broadband to globe-trotters

MUMBAI: After mobile roaming, it’s now the turn of wireless broadband (Wi-fi) to hit roaming big time. Tatas-owned Videsh Sanchar Nigam (VSNL) will soon offer Wi-Fi roaming services across 26 countries, allowing subscribers to access high speed internet while travelling.

VSNL has already tied-up with Singapore’s second largest communications company StarHub. This will allow all StarHub customers, whether mobile, broadband or cable, to use wireless broadband at nearly 300 Wi-Fi hotspots being operated by VSNL across India.
“Similarly, Indian users will be able to use wireless broadband while in Singapore. Network testing is currently underway, and it should be up and running in about three weeks,” Prateek Pashine, VSNL’s VP-Marketing & Technology, Retail Broadband Business, told ET.

Mr Pashine said VSNL would ink similar roaming agreements with 25 more members of Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), a global consortium of world’s leading wireless operators. These agreements will enable subscribers to use wireless broadband in the US, UK, France, Italy among other countries.
VSNL, the only Indian member of WBA, is the first Indian service provider to enter in to a wireless broadband roaming alliance with an international operator.

“We are looking forward to tying up with 25 more operators soon. In the first phase, incoming roaming will be enabled and in the second phase, outgoing will be functional,” he said.
VSNL scrip closed at Rs 438.20, up 0.50%, on Monday. VSNL will have bilateral revenue sharing arrangement with each operator. While visitors to India will be able to access high speed wireless broadband using their home country account and identity, Indian users will be able to do the same when travelling abroad.

A person with a Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop, cell phone or PDA can connect to the Internet when in proximity of an access point. The region covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot. There are over 60,000 hotspots across these 25 countries.
India is still in the early stages of Wi-Fi adoption.

The numbers of hotspots in India is nearly 1,000. Last month, VSNL board gave the nod to hive off its retail and broadband business into a separate company, DIL Internet, valued at Rs 400 crore. VSNL currently operates nearly 300 hotspots spread across major cities and include leading chain of hotels, major domestic and international airports, cafe chains, restaurants, bookstores, stadiums, and shopping malls.