Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)-owned Google is betting big on India, where the tech giant introduced five new products including one providing free Wi-Fi and a new YouTube version that runs on slow internet connections.
According to a report in CNBC, Google designed new products are specifically for users in India, which is the world’s second-largest Internet market.
The new products include new video app YouTube Go; Google Assistant in Hindi, messaging app Allo; and a faster browsing for Google Play on 2G connections. Also, the tech behemoth announced data-saving features in its Chrome mobile browser.
Google offering free Wi-Fi in India
The search engine giant is working with RailTel and Indian Railways to bring Wi-Fi to railway stations across India. The company’s Wi-Fi network, called Google Station, provides Wi-Fi across railway stations nation-wide, and the search giant wants to expand the service across the country.
In a statement, the company said that Google Station offers carriers, system integrators and venues an easy way to set up high-quality Wi-Fi to “provide more people in India fast, reliable, and safe Wi-Fi in more of the places where they spend time, like malls, transit stations, and cafes.”
Google says not just want to bring more Indian online
Caesar Sengupta, Google’s vice-president of product management, said that the company is not looking for just to get more Indians online. He said that his company wants to ensure Indians have the tools to “create the online experience they want; one that serves their needs and enables them to have an impact on the entire world.”
The company launched YouTube Go, a new mobile app for today’s video-consuming generation, for Indian users. The app is designed for data-conscious customers, according to Johanna Wright, YouTube’s vice-president for product management. The app will function even in poor connectivity, according to the company.
“It also gives users control over how much data they consume on videos, allowing them to preview videos first and choose the video’s file size before they save it offline to watch later…They can also share videos easily with friends and family nearby, without using any data at all,” Wright said in a statement.
Why Google bullish on India
India is the world’s fastest growing smartphone market by several estimates, according to a report in Mashable. A Nasscom and Akamai report claims that India will have more than 730 million internet users and 702 million smartphone users by 2020.
Last week, the United Nations Broadband Commission reported that India is the world’s second-largest Internet market, with 333 million users, trailing China’s 721 million.
