Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has partnered with Nokia to create technology solutions that will enhance broadband connectivity in rural India.

Under the three-year partnership, Nokia will fund and provide technological expertise for research at IIT-M’s Centre of Excellence for Wireless Technology (CEWiT). The project will evaluate the option of using unlicensed spectrum to deliver cost-efficient, last-mile broadband connectivity to remote rural communities in India, complementing the Centre’s National Optical Fibre Network initiative.

The research project aims to bridge the connectivity divide in India by broadening the reach of broadband in rural areas.

CEWiT at IIT-M will verify the feasibility of using unlicensed spectrum radio access technologies for cost-efficient, last-mile broadband connectivity and complement the Centre’s plans of providing optical fibreconnectivity to 2.3 lakh gram panchayats by providing last-mile connectivity to their respective villages.

It will also create effective low-cost rural access solutions based on Wi-Fi technology. The research will focus on leveraging the power of the Internet to accelerate the development of rural communities. The project is to take broadband to every corner of India. Broadband will be critical for implementing Digital India programme, and without it providing e-governance will be impossible, Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT-Madras, told newspersons.

According to Sandeep Girotra, Vice-President and Head of India region, Nokia, the successful implementation of this project is a key social development objective for Nokia in India. He declined to give the amount of fund provided under the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility research programme for rural development.

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