Internet service provider Tata Communications has tied up with New Zealand-based WiFi company Tomizone to boost the number of Wi-Fi hotspots in India. When asked, the company declined to share details on the number of hotspots that will be added. Currently Tata Indicom Wi-Fi claims a 50% market share, adding that India has less than 1000 WiFi hotspots totally. Tata Communications has 500 hotspots at airports, hotels, coffee shops, restaurant chains, hospitals, educational institutes, railway stations and shopping malls, and offers roaming access to broadband or dial up users in 300 cities/ towns. With Tomizone, Tata Communications will target small cafe owners, service apartments and SOHOs (small office-home office) to increase coverage. Wi-Fi In India, Airtel Joins The Fray WiMAX deployments are yet to happen and fixed broadband roll outs drag on. "One reason why Wi-Fi has not taken off in India yet is because providers have not been able to achieve scale; this is what we will be enabling with Tatas," said Girish Hiremath, Country Head-India, Tomizone, speaking to MediaNama. Tomizone is also speaking to other larger ISPs in India for similar tie ups. Reliance Communications offers Wi-Fi at 242 Reliance World outlets in India, also in partnership with Tomizone. Tomizone launched a pilot in Bangalore with RCOM and followed it up with an "exclusive" licence to provide Wi-Fi to the outlets, according to Scoop. RCOM has had plans to ramp up this network but it might not help grow the market unless hotspots are deployed in public places. RCOM…
