Realising the potential to address this gap, Karam and Shubhendu shifted their focus to building a company that would deliver connectivity across India. That company became Dabba.

Understanding the Market Opportunity: India’s Unique Digital Landscape

India’s telecom market is unlike any other in the world. While it is the second-largest telecom market globally, broadband penetration remains exceedingly low. Most Indians connect to the internet via mobile networks, which lack the speed and stability that broadband can offer. This is due to the country’s rapid urbanisation which has outpaced infrastructure development, leaving entire regions without proper fibre optic networks. To put this into context, the US has around 90% broadband penetration with around 120 million connections, and China has around 650 million broadband connections. In contrast, India only has 30 million broadband connections, less than 5% penetration. Yet India consumes more mobile data than any other country, with average usage of 30 – 40gb per month. The current mobile networks, however, are overburdened, and expanding broadband is essential to meeting demand. Over the next two decades, India will need to roll out 500 million new broadband connections, creating a massive opportunity for growth.

India is already one of the world’s largest crypto markets, with millions of active crypto wallet holders. This familiarity with decenralised systems has made it easier for LCOs and customers to adopt Dabba’s model, which leverages decentralised incentives to help fund network expansion.

Individuals can purchase routers directly from Dabba’s website, and these routers are then deployed by LCOs to help expand broadband access. The individuals funding the deployment are then rewarded in Dabba’s crypto token. This community-driven model allows LCOs to scale their networks without replying solely on traditional capital markets. “The demand for broadband is already there, we’re just matching that demand with supply through decentralised funding and incentives”.

This model differentiates Dabba from a lot of other DePIN projects that often struggle to create demand. With Dabba, the demand for internet access is immediate and widespread. The decentralised funding model allows the company to meet this demand while empowering local cable operators to scale their businesses.

Innovative Technology: From Fibre to Lasers

Beyond Dabba’s decentralised model of empowering LCOs, the company is pushing the boundaries of network infrastructure with cutting-edge technology. One of the most intriguing developments in Dabba’s approach is its exploration of laser technology. This innovation has the potential to revolutionise how broadband is delivered, especially in dense urban environments where laying traditional fibre-optic cable is expensive, time-consuming and logistically challenging.

“We deployed Google’s lasers across various rooftops in tropical climates, and they worked incredibly well”, Karim explained. The lasers provided high-speed internet even in adverse weather conditions. Now, Dabba is developing its own laser technology to build cost-effective, high-speed networks in cities without the need for extensive underground fibre installations. By combining laser technology with the DePIN approach of decentralisation, Dabba is able to rapidly expand its network in areas where traditional fibre-optic infrastructure would have been too costly or difficult to implement.

Since its inception, Dabba has made significant strides in building its DePIN network. In its first phase, the company deployed 1,000 routers across three cities, transferring nearly 1,000 terabytes of data in just a few months. As demand continues to grow, Dabba is preparing to scale to 10,000 routers across more than a dozen cities in the near future. Dabba’s ultimate goal is to deploy millions of hotspots, providing affordable, high-speed internet to millions of people across India.

By 2025, Dabba aims to significantly expand its reach, becoming a major player in the Indian broadband market. The company’s decentralised, community-driven model and innovative technology position it well to meet the country’s growing connectivity needs.

How You Can Get Involved

Dabba offers an opportunity for individuals and businesses to support the expansion of internet connectivity in India. Anyone interested in helping close the digital divide can purchase a router through Dabba’s website. These routers will be deployed by LCOs in underserved areas, providing both a social impact and an economic opportunity for the operators involved. This is where the incentivisation aspect of a DePIN project like Dabba comes into play. For your role in purchasing a hotspot and building out the supply, you are rewarded in Dabba’s native crypto token as a reward.

Dabba’s approach to broadband connectivity is a refreshing departure from the traditional telcom model. By leveraging decentralised networks and empowering local entrepreneurs, Dabba is building a future where affordable, high-speed internet is accessible to everyone. The demand for connectivity in India is vast, and Dabba’s model offers a scalable solution to meet that need.