Hassan Maishera
Earlier today, internet service provider Wifi Dabba, announced that it would deploy more than 100,000 of its devices — all housed on its DePIN on Solana — to users across India before the end of the year.
According to the company, the aim of the devices is to connect more Indians to the internet. Internet connectivity remains relatively low in India despite it being the most populous country in the world.
However, all this is about to change thanks to a new decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) innovation.
According to Wifi Dabba, only 30 million of India’s 1.43 billion people have access to regular WiFi, with just under 50% having no access of any kind. This will be the second time the company is deploying its DePIN-connected devices.
So far, the connected devices are reporting a steady monthly consumption of 90–100 terabytes of paid data across the already-sold devices. The company added that users with their own router hardware can earn the Wifi Dabba token as a reward for the data consumed by hotspot users.
While speaking to Cointelegraph, Karam Lakshman, the CEO of Wifi Dabba, said in addition to the lack of access for many Indians, the dominant major telecom companies focus on urban areas in what he called “tier 1 and 2 cities.” He added that,
“This means it could take several decades to connect the entire country, not factoring in future spikes in data demand. India, the fifth-largest economy and the second-largest holder of crypto, stands at the forefront of economic growth and technological innovation, underscoring the urgent need for faster infrastructure development.”
He further showed how the scalability of DePIN technology presents a viable solution for India and other developing nations facing similar connectivity issues. Lakshman said,
“India serves as a crucial test bed for refining this model, which can subsequently be replicated worldwide to address connectivity issues on a global scale.”
Shubhendu Sharma, the chief operating officer of Wifi Dabba, said DePINs encourage accelerated infrastructure expansion through the involvement of incentivized deployers like local cable operators.
“Additionally, the transparency inherent in a decentralized network enables the public availability of data, fostering a vibrant open-source community and driving the development of innovative tools and solutions,” Sharma added
Sharma added that the involvement of numerous stakeholders and the transparency of the DePIN model can offer users better services and accountability.
So far, the company’s existing networks in Bangalore have witnessed widespread usage across diverse economic strata, with use cases from taxi and delivery drivers to corporate executives.
Sharma added that Wifi Dabba was also instrumental in Google’s local public WiFi initiatives in the country.
DePINs have become crucial to the Web3 ecosystem and are viewed as the next big innovation to bridge the decentralized world with the mainstream.
Dawn Philip, the communications director for Wifi Dabba, said the company expects a massive increase in the adoption of DePINs and supporting services in 2024, particularly in developing nations. Philip added that,
“DePINs are poised to find a substantial market fit in these regions, where infrastructure development is needed the most. Unlike the developed world, where infrastructure is largely established, and market saturation is evident, the developing world presents an untapped potential for decentralized networks to flourish.”
