The Hindu Business Line : Scheme to promote new tech in rural areas launched

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Scheme to promote new tech in rural areas launched

Telecom Dept to fund 5 projects on pilot basis, calls for applications

Rural thrust
Each of the tech projects, which may be a tripartite effort, will be given Rs 50 lakh.
USO fund initiating project for setting up cellular infrastructure in rural areas.

Thomas K. Thomas

New Delhi, Oct 5 The Department of Telecom has launched a new scheme under the Universal Services Obligation fund for supporting use of new technologies in providing communication services in rural areas.

DoT will fund five such projects on a pilot basis where innovative technologies can be deployed to offer telecom services.

“The objective of the scheme is to give exposure to new technologies for providing telecom services in rural and remote areas of the country. The scheme will bring to light innovations specifically suited to conditions prevailing in such areas. This will provide a methodology by which such technologies can be tested on a pilot project basis in a limited rural and remote area. The result could be seen and studied by Telecom Service Providers for further action,” DoT said.

Bids invited

Bids have been invited from interested companies with details of the project and technology that would be deployed. Each of these projects would be given a support of Rs 50 lakh from the USO fund.

The new scheme is targeting technologies including sharable base stations by multiple service providers, smart antennas, new broadband technologies, broadband over power lines, new versions of customer premises equipment, battery and power plant equipment specially designed for rural areas and hybrid power.

DoT said that the pilot project may be a tripartite effort with the technology provider giving the technology and equipment, the telecom service provider providing requisite infrastructure and the USO Fund providing the financial assistance.

Cellular infrastructure

The USO fund administrator is also initiating another project for setting up cellular infrastructure in rural areas. DoT has called all interested operators and infrastructure providers for a meeting on October 12 to discuss this project which envisages rolling out 11,000 towers across the country. DoT had earlier floated a similar project for just over 7,000 towers which received massive response from a number of companies.

Some of the companies had bid so aggressively that they promised to give money to the Government for undertaking the project instead of taking support from the USO fund.