India enters Wi-Fi 7 era as TP-Link begins local manufacturing
New Delhi, May 25
India's digital connectivity ecosystem received a boost on Monday as TP-Link India announced the commencement of local manufacturing of its Wi-Fi 7 product portfolio in the nation, aligning with the government's push for domestic electronics production and next-generation telecom infrastructure.
The company said it has begun manufacturing Wi-Fi 7 devices in India with the Omada EAP770 enterprise access point, which is one of the early moves by a global networking brand to localise production of the new-generation standard following the Department of Telecommunications' decision to delicense the lower 6 GHz spectrum band.
Earlier in January, the government's notification opened up 500 MHz of spectrum in the 5925-6425 MHz band for licence-exempt usage.
Nearly 92 per cent of its product portfolio sold in India is already manufactured locally through domestic EMS partners, and the company aims to increase this level to 96-97 per cent over the next three years, according to TP-Link India.
The company stated that the latest move will strengthen India's position in the global networking supply chain and support the expansion of high-speed, low-latency connectivity required for cloud computing, AI-driven applications, Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems and high-density digital environments.
Wi-Fi 7 technology is expected to significantly improve network capacity, reliability and performance, particularly in sectors such as education, healthcare, hospitality, retail and enterprise campuses, it added.
Sanjay Sehgal, MD and CEO, TP-Link India, said the localisation of Wi-Fi 7 products reflects the company's long-term commitment to India's digital infrastructure ambitions and the vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.
He added that the opening of the 6 GHz band marks a transformative phase for enterprise connectivity in India, with the company investing further in manufacturing capabilities, R&D and partner development.
The company noted that it will gradually expand its locally manufactured Wi-Fi 7 portfolio across indoor, outdoor and in-wall access points, with plans to serve both domestic demand and select international markets in the future.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great move by TP-Link but I hope they also focus on affordability. Right now Wi-Fi 7 devices are super expensive and meant for enterprises only. What about us regular people who still struggle with basic broadband speeds in Tier-2 cities? Let's first fix the backbone.
I've been using TP-Link products for years, they are reliable. But 6 GHz band delicensing is the real gamechanger here! Less interference, more speed. For our college campus, this could transform online learning and research work. Smart move by the government too. 👏
As a small business owner in Bangalore, this is music to my ears. Our office desperately needs low-latency connections for cloud-based operations. But I'm cautiously optimistic - let's see if the price of Wi-Fi 7 routers becomes reasonable for SMEs like mine. Aatmanirbhar Bharat needs affordable tech.
Interesting development! I work for a tech MNC in Hyderabad and we've been waiting for this. Wi-Fi 7 with 6 GHz will be a boon for AI workloads and IoT. But the real test will be execution - manufacturing quality and after-sales support need to match global standards. India has the potential!
Just yesterday I was reading about how Japan and South Korea are miles ahead in Wi-Fi tech. Good to see India catching up. But 92% local manufacturing already? That's impressive! Hope other networking brands like D-Link and Cisco also follow suit. Make in India should not be limited to just phones.
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