A Bengaluru based company called Saankhya Labs, designed a tiny chip which is the size of a postage stamp and is designed and made to connect rural population to the internet. The chip users the usually wasted spectrum bandwidth called White Space to power a system which beams Internet to scores of rural households.
The Bengaluru based company is a semiconductor firm called Saankhya which is aiming to join the international firms like Facebook, Google and Microsoft which are doing their part to bring Internet to the Rural areas of India.
Parag Naik, CEO of Saankhya Labs, said “World over regulatory authorities are using or planning to use this spectrum for their respective connectivity programms. India can take the lead in both technology and the markets for TV White Space-based broadband delivery. And how long can the government not push the envelope… It’s got to be expedited sooner than later,”.
The Pruthvi chip powers a system called Meghdoot, which uses the existing TV White Space bandwidth available in India to provide wireless broadband to remote areas. The 200-300 MHz spectrum in the white space can reach up to 10 kms, the white spectrum belongs to Doordardhan TV channel which belongs to the Government. With Microsoft already working with Andhra Pradesh government to implement the technology in Srikakulam district, even Saankhya in collaboration with IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Hyderabad, will be conducting field trials and is in discussions with Microsoft to do trials at Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.
With the Digital India project announced by PM Narendra Modi with an investment of $1.2 billion aiming to connect 250,000 gram panchayats to bring internet to every part of the country. Saankhya is the latest entry into the project with big players like Facebook, Microsoft and Google working extensively on it.
