If you thought that 3G was something meant for city slickers to download music and videos only, think again. Sweden-based Ericsson has launched the Gramjyoti Rural Broadband project in 18 villages and 15 towns near Chennai. Under the project, Ericsson is using the existing 2G network of operators like Bharti Airtel, BSNL and Aircel to provide a slew of services to rural folk.
The pilot project uses HSPA (high speed packet access) to provide e-education, tele-medicine, e-governance, entertainment and video conferencing facilities in the region. More than being a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project, this demonstrates to the people and the government how to provide people centric facilities.
Though this project is on for just three months, government support could ensure that rural folk across the country can benefit from the latest technology. Plus the cost implications are not too high. Apollo Hospitals claims that if each family of four pays just Rs 2 a day (Rs 60 a month), it can provide medical facilities in the villages. Ericsson's partners in the venture apart from Apollo include Hand in Hand - an NGO, Edurite, One97, CNN and Cartoon Network.While it has tied up with CNN,
The other plus is getting government documentation (birth, death certificates), land records etc sitting in the village. Currently, this is a showcase project. Once this is replicated across the country only will the benefits begin to flow.
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