Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 03 October 2006 02:47
IT Industry -
Market
Page 1 of 2
Microsoft India and Hughes India have announced 'Project Saksham': a plan to roll out 5,000 broadband satellite ICT kiosks in rural areas across the country.
The kiosks will be deployed across 200 small towns and rural regions and will be operated on a franchisee- based model enabling budding entrepreneurs to offer e-commerce, education and e-governance services. They will have broadband access to the Internet via the HughesNet satellite broadband network and will use Microsoft technology.
"The ICT kiosks will not only provide a platform for exchange of information and knowledge, but also serve as a platform to create over 15,000 jobs and self-employment opportunities," said Pranav Roach, president and CEO, Hughes Network Systems India.
Hughes will provide a comprehensive business model to enable successful kiosk penetration in rural India offering B2B and B2C services based on its Hughes Fusion center model.
HughesNet Fusion already operates over 215 similar kiosks and Hughes claims that more than 1,000 potential business partners have shown interest and are evaluating the model. HughesNet Fusion provides multiple services like education programs, pre-paid top-ups, airline ticketing, matrimonial services and a host of other services through its alliance partners.