BBC on rural connectivity

Setting up e-Choupals is a great idea, but the problem of connectivity always comes up. What options do people in the villages have for getting connected to the information centre? Telephony is only limited to 80% of the vilages in India. Satellites provide a viable alternative, but they require to set up VSAT terminals which are both expensive and need to be maintained. Furthermore, their usage is restricted to data, and therefore economic sustainance becomes a greater issue. Wireless meshes using WiFi or WiMax are being actively tested and deployed, but the problem of maintenance and economic viability still remains. However, cellular networds are getting more and more widely deployed, thanks to Reliance and other cellphone companies. Not only do cellular networks being in data communication through SMS and other data services, but they also provide basic voice telephony that can have dramatic affects on the lifestyle of the people. Voice services also ensure a steady source of revenue for the cellular providers, giving them an incentive to extend their deployments. The interesting fact is that 85% of all villages are within 20km radius of fiber connectivity! Therefore it is easier to set up cellular networks without the need for laying out any extra fiber.

The most interesting option however is that of carrying a GSM phone on a bicycle from village to village, and creating a PCO on wheels to provide public telephony services in the different villages!

However, cellular networks do not support high data rates, which are necessary for downloading/uploading educational content, videos, and other transactional data like electricity bills and mutual funds. Our research group at the University of Waterloo is trying to solve this problem by enabling mechanical backhauls like buses and vans to ferry data to and from the villages.