Source : ETTelecom
The emergence of new players in the telecom industry may have signalled an era of free services, but whether that has led to better quality is arguable.
Free voice calls and economical data plans notwithstanding, patchy networks often come in the way of a buffer-free experience for users.
While big telcos are working out piecemeal solutions to improve the efficiency of their networks, a Bangalore-based startup has been leveraging these inconsistencies to create a service that few businesses - or the government - can turn down.
Wired right
Started as a live-streaming service for internal events of big organizations, ZifiLink - that went by the name 'Watchy Technology' - has morphed into a full-fledged product company that seeks to democratize reliable, high-speed internet by combining multiple networks and streaming it through one source. In simple terms it combines the data bandwidth of all the telecom players to provide super fast data speeds.
The company's flagship product works as a portable WiFi router that converges eight different telecom networks - be it Airtel, Vodafone or any other - to provide one ultra-fast internet connection, eliminating the need for expensive leased lines.
"ZifiLink 's system aggregates 3G or 4G links from eight dongles across networks to create a combined capacity that increases the reliability by a factor of eight," says founder & CEO of ZifiLink, Sriramkumar. "Even if bad weather attenuates one signal, the combination of the rest will still give users sustainable Internet," he adds. ZifiLink customers say that have got speeds of 40 Mbps using ZifiLink.
Spreading the web
When it comes to Internet speeds, South Korea is the leader with an average of 26.1 Mbps. India has one of the lowest average connection speeds among countries in the Asia Pacific region at 5.6 Mbps.
Average Connection Speed by APAC Country/Region (Source - Akamai)
Although the applicability of ZifiLink offers a broad scope for the imagination, the startup sees a good start in taking the B2B route. While established enterprises can use it as a cheaper alternative to premium satellite-based solutions, it also solves the pain point of SMEs who are eager to reap the opportunities high-speed internet can bring to their businesses.
In addition to small companies in tier-2 cities, media companies also see a compelling value proposition in this product.
"ZifiLink can - and has - replaced expensive OB van needs by enabling fast WiFi connection inside any vehicle," says the 33-year-old entrepreneur. "Media is also increasingly moving towards using smartphones to stream content back to the studio. This creates an imperative need to have high-speed connectivity with you at all times without compromising on mobility - which is often stymied when depending on these vans. Moreover, the device is compact and can easily fit into a backpack," he adds.
The same vehicle-friendly application can be used by law enforcement agencies to connect their surveillance cameras to the control room. "Chennai police has used our product to get a seamless feed from PTC cameras during sensitive times like elections," he says.
Big organzations like Hindustan Petroleum (HP) are also cashing in on the cost-effective solutions that ZifiLink is offering by replacing the VSAT terminals at its petrol pumps with this product.
"HP has a large number of petrol pumps on the highways which need to be connected to ERP systems to ensure uninterrupted supply - a loss of even two hours would be equivalent to losing money in lakhs," he says. "With ZifiLink, these companies can get 100 times the speed of internet for less the cost of VSAT terminals which they currently depend on," he adds.
For more click HERE
The emergence of new players in the telecom industry may have signalled an era of free services, but whether that has led to better quality is arguable.
Free voice calls and economical data plans notwithstanding, patchy networks often come in the way of a buffer-free experience for users.
While big telcos are working out piecemeal solutions to improve the efficiency of their networks, a Bangalore-based startup has been leveraging these inconsistencies to create a service that few businesses - or the government - can turn down.
Wired right
Started as a live-streaming service for internal events of big organizations, ZifiLink - that went by the name 'Watchy Technology' - has morphed into a full-fledged product company that seeks to democratize reliable, high-speed internet by combining multiple networks and streaming it through one source. In simple terms it combines the data bandwidth of all the telecom players to provide super fast data speeds.
The company's flagship product works as a portable WiFi router that converges eight different telecom networks - be it Airtel, Vodafone or any other - to provide one ultra-fast internet connection, eliminating the need for expensive leased lines.
"ZifiLink 's system aggregates 3G or 4G links from eight dongles across networks to create a combined capacity that increases the reliability by a factor of eight," says founder & CEO of ZifiLink, Sriramkumar. "Even if bad weather attenuates one signal, the combination of the rest will still give users sustainable Internet," he adds. ZifiLink customers say that have got speeds of 40 Mbps using ZifiLink.
Spreading the web
When it comes to Internet speeds, South Korea is the leader with an average of 26.1 Mbps. India has one of the lowest average connection speeds among countries in the Asia Pacific region at 5.6 Mbps.
Average Connection Speed by APAC Country/Region (Source - Akamai)
Although the applicability of ZifiLink offers a broad scope for the imagination, the startup sees a good start in taking the B2B route. While established enterprises can use it as a cheaper alternative to premium satellite-based solutions, it also solves the pain point of SMEs who are eager to reap the opportunities high-speed internet can bring to their businesses.
In addition to small companies in tier-2 cities, media companies also see a compelling value proposition in this product.
"ZifiLink can - and has - replaced expensive OB van needs by enabling fast WiFi connection inside any vehicle," says the 33-year-old entrepreneur. "Media is also increasingly moving towards using smartphones to stream content back to the studio. This creates an imperative need to have high-speed connectivity with you at all times without compromising on mobility - which is often stymied when depending on these vans. Moreover, the device is compact and can easily fit into a backpack," he adds.
The same vehicle-friendly application can be used by law enforcement agencies to connect their surveillance cameras to the control room. "Chennai police has used our product to get a seamless feed from PTC cameras during sensitive times like elections," he says.
Big organzations like Hindustan Petroleum (HP) are also cashing in on the cost-effective solutions that ZifiLink is offering by replacing the VSAT terminals at its petrol pumps with this product.
"HP has a large number of petrol pumps on the highways which need to be connected to ERP systems to ensure uninterrupted supply - a loss of even two hours would be equivalent to losing money in lakhs," he says. "With ZifiLink, these companies can get 100 times the speed of internet for less the cost of VSAT terminals which they currently depend on," he adds.
For more click HERE