This document discusses strategies for bridging the digital divide in Asia through next generation networks and Hotspot 2.0 technology. It notes that Asia will be home to the majority of the world's population and largest economies by 2020 but also has significant digital divides to overcome, with far more mobile than internet users. Hotspot 2.0 allows for secure, seamless connectivity to wireless networks and could help boost adoption of wireless broadband. The presentation introduces an Indian startup called Airmesh that aims to build India's largest open, carrier-neutral next-generation wireless network using WiFi and Hotspot 2.0 compliant technology to help close connectivity and access gaps across Asia.

1. BRIDIGINGTHE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN ASIA
WITH NGN & HOTSPOT 2.0
PRESENTED BY:
VIKRAM GUPTA
Managing Director & CEO | AIRMESH

2. Asia: Quick Facts
 Asian economies will dominate the list of the biggest economies by
2020.
 Majority of world’s population lives here.
 The middle-class in Asia (exc. Japan), will rise to 945 million in 2015. To
put that in perspective, this will be nearly three times the population of
USA.
 Highly diverse population
• 52 primary languages with 1000+ regional dialects
• 27 currencies with some of the lowest and highest GDPs per capita in the
world
• Very different political and legal systems
 3B+ mobile subscribers vs ~1B Internet users
• Majority of Internet usage is mobile
• Prepaid users outnumber postpaid 5-to-1
 Feature phone users outnumber smartphone users 4-to-1
• 2.4B+ feature phone users still represents the masses
• Japan and Korea growing fast, but India, China, Indonesia are much slower
• Many countries have limited data plan penetration – even with
smartphones3B+ mobile subscribers vs ~1B Internet users
 Credit card penetration is minimal
 Customer loyalty for mobile services is the lowest in the world

3. “Asia is the most socially engaged region of the world on the web.
This includes activities like blogging, social networking, social
bookmarking and engaging in social chatter. They carry brands
through their activities and peer-to-peer conversations.”
Source: Harvard Business Review 2010
KeyTakeaways
 More than 40% of internet
users come from Asia
 Accounts for 65% of world’s
internet growth
 Growth driven by younger
power users
• Users from Thailand and
Vietnam record the highest
time spent online;
significantly large
percentage of population
under the age of 35
 E-commerce starts to make a
move
 Social networking still
captures majority of screen
time
• Facebook number one social
network; Twitter, LinkedIn
and Tumblr popular
 Entertainment and online
video continues to grow
• YouTube a property

4. Internet Penetration Data - 2008
Internet Penetration Data - 2011
Asian Internet Diversity
 The rise of Asia as the main contributor to the
world’s Internet population; 42 percent of the
world’s Internet users live in Asia, and China,
India, and Japan alone host more Internet users
than Europe and North America combined.
 Some countries in Asia have a long way to go,
like India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.
On the other side, Japan, Malaysia and South
Korea are clearly the most densely saturated
internet populations
WirelessBroadbandAdoption

5. “A 1% increase in broadband penetration increases the
per capitaGDP by 1.38% in developing countries.”
-World Bank

6. India’s ranking in the world and penetration of services
Technology trend for wired and wireless Internet access
Devices used to access Internet
India – Quick Glance
 India’s GDP has grown from ~1.2% in 2002 to
~6.9% in 2012-13
 Broadband has already created 9 million direct
and indirect jobs in India
 1% addition to the Broadband penetration can
add 2.7 billion to India’s GDP in the year 2015
“ Connecting more than a billion people with Internet is not only going to
improve lives of people in India but helping innovation and imagination of
Indian people will help turn around the world and we are very excited in
opportunities in India.”
- Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook

7. Understanding the Digital Divide
Connectivity &
Devices
• ACCESS GAP
• Improved service
delivery
Complexity
of
Computers
• ADOPTION GAP
• Easy to use internet
devices
Insufficient
Value
Creating
Content
• VALUE GAP
• Relevant Content
• Platform for
business ecosystem
USER ATTACHMENT
USER ATTACHMENT
USER EXPERIENCE
Key Contributors:
 Income and affordability
 Ability/skills to use ICTs
 Access to ICTs
 Location (rural/urban)
 Content availability in local languages(s)
 Literacy
 Speed
 Gender
 Mobile
 Measurement
Key Challenges:
 Building Demand in Rural Areas
 Improving Return on Investments
 Reducing apprehensions of Service
Providers

8. Drivers for Broadband
Broadband – Growing Demand
BandwidthrequirementofApplications
 Youth Population
 Urbanization
 Smartphone Adoption
The Basic Utility
 Uplift Rural Areas
 Job Creation
 Participatory Governance
 Reduced Urbanization
 Enabling Future Workplaces
 Helps reducing the Carbon Footprint

9. Roadblocks to the Digital Highway
Challenges – Supply Side
 Lack of desired Infrastructure
 Right of Way
 Complex Regulatory Environment
 Low Last Mile Connectivity
 Unavailability of Affordable Devices
 Lack of Content
 Lack of Public Access points
 Unavailability of Useful Applications
Challenges – Demand Side
 Limited digital literacy and awareness
 Limited Affordability
 Network and Technology
 Security and Business Continuity
Planning
 Low Last Mile
Industry Ecosystem - Disconnect

10. “Innovation is the way forward”

11. Barriers to WIFI
Growth of WIFI Hotspots in Asia
WIFI – LTE CAPEX Comparison
Carrier WIFI – Bridging the Divide
 Ubiquity in Access and Coverage
 Lower Capex
 Lower Cost
 Ease of Installation
 Newer Market Opportunities
 Increasing User Confidence in WIFI

12. Why Hotspot 2.o
Investment Drivers in NGH
Hotspot 2.o – Enabler forWIFI
 Transparent network Discovery
 Simple and intuitive on-line sign-up and
configuration
 Secure Communication
 Using WLAN becomes as easy as using a
cellular
 No manual selection of SSIDs or input of
access credentials
 Secure authentication on WLAN hotspots
thanks to WPA2/EAP encryption
 Faster Internet experience compared to
cellular networks
 Savings on mobile data volumes,
depending on the cellular service contract
 Access to WLAN hotspots at different
locations

13. Vision
First Steps
Introducing Airmesh
 Indian Technology and Internet Services Startup
 Focused on Mobile Internet
 Building an Ecosystem around Mobile Internet
Platform
 On to build India’s biggest open and carrier
neutral next generation wireless network
 WIFI used as the primary edge access technology
 Hotspot 2.o compliant network

14. ThankYou !