GRAMJYOTI - Rural Broadband by Ericsson

GRAMJYOTI - RURAL BROADBAND BY ERICCSON Once the 3G Spectrum Issue is sorted out 3G HSPA will become the default technology for operators to bridge the last mile in the country 3G HSPA technology will work wonders in helping the operators percolate the Information revolution to 250, 000 villages in the country.

Ericsson has setup the India’s first HSPA-powered rural broadband demo network, that delivers the benefits of 3G across 18 villages and 15 towns in Tamil Nadu. Villagers can visit the citizen centres at Manamai, Thiruvidanthai & Vadugambadi, to log into a high speed internet connection and know the latest selling rates of agriculture produce. Things like land record registrations, issuance of death/birth certificates and ration cards, which normally takes longer time were done in faster. Forms for births, deaths and land records could also be accessed from the centres.

Children can be taught through distance education, by a teacher sitting in Delhi. Villagers can get treated by doctors, who will interact through video-conferencing from Chennai, when the Gramjyoti van visits your village. It provided high-speed internet and mobile connectivity over a 3G backbone, helping rural communities access a range of new services - telemedicine, e-education, e-governance, online local information, voice and video call services and live television

The villages were connected by a mobile community centre, which carried personal computers, phones and audio-visual equipment to each of the villages on rotation.

The project was supported by operators like BSNL, Bharti, Maxis, Apollo and we were provided 3G spectrum for three months by the government on experimental basis 

Check out the complete Interview with P. Balaji, Vice President – Marketing & Strategy, Ericsson India Pvt. Ltd.

Balaji explains in detail why 3G HSPA finds favour with the service providers across the world. Balaji also gives details about the Ericsson's Gramjyoti Rural Broadband Project and how this successful experiment can be replicated across villages in India.
Balaji also gives his thought on the fracas over 3G roll out in India has a word or two about why operators have been slow to warm up to rural India

Also visit http://www.gramjyoti.in/