Mobility needs to go places

A few years ago, I sat in on a panel discussion initiated by chip giant Intel. The subject was mobility and how educational institutions and students could benefit from greater connectivity in classrooms, campuses and the like. Intel obviously had a cause, which was to push its Centrino project.

Around the same time, I recall now CEO and then COO Paul S Otellini telling me this was the one big thing that Intel was focusing on at that point and the idea was to push mobility in areas ranging from enterprises to education, and even rural, at some point. The Centrino project push, directly or indirectly, has helped the cause. Three years later, mobility is far more pervasive and Wi-Fi is near omniscient. To illustrate, I have found Wi Fi signals popping up on my laptop in the most unexpected of places "� how about a river in Goa!

Given the obvious benefits of mobile computing and the continued challenges of wireline reach in India, there are many obstacles and hurdles as I see it. The biggest one is cost. At the `top end', why do hotels levy such exorbitant rates for Wi Fi connectivity (all the 5-star chains in India) "� I mean, charge me Rs 500 more for the room but don't slap a Rs 800-1,000 bill for 24-hour wireless connectivity?

The second hurdle is connectivity itself. For instance, many metro airports (not all by any stretch) provide some Wi Fi connectivity but inevitably dissapoint. To log on, and get a good connection going, can take so long that you are ready to board your aircraft. On the other hand, if you buy a scratch card or its equivalent, you can only use it in that terminal of that airport. My wallet has three scratch cards of varying denominations now. Mumbai airport claimed a free service recently I think but I tried twice and failed in recent weeks. At airports like Hong Kong, the free service works brilliantly!

Note that most of these networks are private and not state-initiated. Not to say the state should get into this but it must be involved in some way.

Then there is security. Indian IT managers as a lot are amongst the most conservative - read scared - to open up their networks. And finally, there is the looming presence of WiMax and potentially-competing networks. So, a local government might say, why invest in Wi Fi networks or hotspots when there is another exciting technology on the horizon?

All true but my basic issue is the same. We need to focus more on Wi Fi beyond closed-user networks. Mobility is not just about laptops, it's about mobiles as well. Wi Fi on phones (as this column as argued before) offers tremendous potential in lowering the cost of voice and data communication. For markets like India, these could result in the creation of new models of cost and connectivity. To sum up, the message and the medium have a long way to go. Now if only Intel could start work on Centrino II.

(govindraj@business-standard.com)