NewZNew (Chandigarh) : Leading market research and consulting firmFrost & Sullivanhas namedOzone Networks,India’s leading public Wi-Fi service provider,“Company of the Year in Public Wi-Fi Services.”In its first industry survey on public Wi-Fi networks in the country, Frost & Sullivan has recognized Ozone Networks for its ability to create premier Wi-Fi hotspots across India in order to make Wi-Fi available as a superior service. The award acknowledges that Ozone Network is the only company building neutral Wi-Fi networks in India; others are mostly concentrating on standalone networks. Looking toward the future, Ozone has a vision of activating about 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots in India by 2020.
For the Company of the Year Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluated two key factors—Visionary Innovation & Performance and Customer Impact. Ozone Networks received a 9 out of 10 weighted rating, whereas its closest competitors received 8.5 and 7 ratings.
According to Suraj Godse, Research Analyst, Frost and Sullivan, “The growing demand for smartphones, tablets, PC’s and other connected devices is generating a staggering amount of mobile data, resulting into clogged networks. Due to the congestion in 2G & 3G networks, customers have started to prefer Public Wi-Fi hotspot subscriptions for better speed and uninterrupted experience. While most of the companies are building standalone networks, Ozone provides a solution of neutral Wi-Fi network. Telecom operators are now realizing the importance of offloading data to neutral Wi-Fi networks in order to withhold their customers from switching to other telecom operators due to slow speed and data congestion. With all the exemplary work it has done in the Public Wi-Fi segment and with a strong vision of providing 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots all over the country by 2020, Ozone has emerged as the Public Wi-Fi service provider of the Year”.
Sanjeev Bobby Sarin, founder and CEO, OzoneNetworks, said, “We are delighted to receive this acknowledgement from an esteemed organization like Frost & Sullivan. This, for us, is a testimony to the hard work and confidence our customers have in us. I truly believe that Ozone Networks will help digitally include more Indians and will help in leap frogging the digital vision of the Indian government. We are confident that with our vision of expansion across the country, predictable Wi-Fi will become a reality in India. We are extremely pleased and proud that Ozone Network has been selected as India’s best public Wi-Fi company, and we will continue to develop products and related services to ensure that we remain relevant for the end users and continue to hold thenumerouno position, and become the preferred choice for restaurants, cafes, hospitals and universities across the length and breadth of the country. Ozone will always exuberate three brand attributes: we will be reliable, we will be predictable, and we will provide the most cost-effective experience in the country.”
Frost & Sullivan’s award confirms that Ozone does not face any competition with regards to the user experience it has created in the marketplace.It provides one of the best user experiences with regards to connectivity and services, though there are some competitors that are also looking toward building standalone networks for operators. Ozone has come up with a strategy of building neutral networks with a strategic tie-up with Ericsson, where Ericsson will provide Ozone with Wi-Fi access points and network management nodes, tools and services, as well as a variety of options for monetizing the Wi-Fi network.
Ozone today has deployed 6,500 access points and 1,500 are public hotspots across 26 different cities, including top 23 major metros covering the entire gamut from Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. The company aims to reach 1 million hotspots by 2020. Ozone today is providing Wi-Fi to the Mumbai Airport (T1 & T2 terminals) and leading retail chains such as McDonalds, Haldiram’s, and bluO, and is in the process of signing with large coffee and food chains.Ozone has also started deploying market Wi-Fi with a deployment in Aurobindo Market (a prestigious market in South Delhi).
