Russian Sistema arm in home WiFi

Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL), which operates under MTS brand name, on 

Wednesday announced its entry into the home WiFi segment as the telecom operator eyes increased revenues from data usage.

SSTL -- controlled by Russian conglomerate Sistema -- is eyeing the home WiFi segment, which is a small but growing in India, as more and more smart device users log on to WiFi networks at their homes and offices to surf the Internet.

“This launch marks a strategic shift in focus for MTS from being primarily a dongle driven data company to a WiFi solutions provider,” the firm said in a statement. The specially designed Homespot Instant WiFi solution comes with an MBlaze Ultra dongle which works with a simple plug and play mechanism and can provide high speed broadband access to 5 users simultaneously including smartphone customers, it added.

According to various industry estimates, the Indian WiFi market is in the range of Rs 35,000-40,000 crore. 

MTS said that prepaid users opting for Rs 499 per month plan will get 5GB of data along with free WhatsApp and Viber.

Prepaid users just need to pay Rs 1299 to get the device with 10 GB bundled data usage, while postpaid users need to pay just Rs 999, it added.