International consortium to set up Internet kiosks in rural India
An international consortium, including Indian and American companies as well as the World Bank is planning to set up thousands of rural Internet centres in India to bring government, banking and education services to isolated villages.
The project to be announced on 23 June, 2005, is intended to bring Internet-based services to individuals who must often travel long distances to conduct banking or business with the government. It is being undertaken by Comat Technologies, an Indian provider of Internet services; ICICI Bank, India’s second largest commercial bank; and Wyse Technology of San Jose, California, which makes computer terminal equipment. The project aims at serving the Indian rural villages with populations of more than 5,000. Ultimately, the plan calls for kiosks in 5,000 villages in the Indian state of Karnataka. State government has subsidised the project and will invest money to develop computer skills in residents. The centres, will be connected to the Internet by either land lines or satellite links. According to Andi Dervishi, an investment officer at the Global Information and Communication Technologies division of the World Bank, the project will commence with a technical demonstration in 4 villages and then will be extended to 20 others.
The Times of India