On Monday, the communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad unveiled new broadband products that are developed by the telecom research arm of the government, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) alongside the launch of the Digital India programme.
C-DoT has come up with a couple of Wi-Fi products such as long distance and solar powered Wi-Fi systems that will address the connectivity issues in the rural areas, highways in tunnels and vegetation and hilly terrain. It has also come up with a green power source in order to make the broadband solution self-sustainable.
The green power solution is claimed to assist in increasing the reach of the country’s national broadband network, BharatNet beyond the panchayats too the remote corners of the country. The network will be the backbone of communications of the Digital India programme.
The minister further stated that C-DoT’s long distance Wi-Fi products will solve the problem related to the distance, whereas the solar powered Wi-Fi solution will reduce the dependence on the grid power. He also launched C-DoT’s products in the presence of Fred Marang’l Okengo, the cabinet secretary, ICT of Kenya, who said that the country is following the Digital India drive closely.
Rakesh Garg, the telecom secretary exhorted that the private sector should use C-DoT’s broadband products. He further urged that the state run telecom research agency has designed the products without keeping the poor in their mind.
Prasad stated that the government led by Narendra Modi is committed to bring the 2.5 lakh villages in the country under its broadband services. It is also in an aim to increase its internet penetration from 300 million to 500 million in the next two and a half years.
As per Vipin Tyagi, the Executive Director of C-DoT, the research agency is innovating with an aim to empower the weak strata of the society. The technology is a big enabler and the broadband services are said to be a great leveler.
