Google, Facebook, Microsoft vie for a slice of `Digital India’

Narendra Modi government's plan to build 100 smart cities across the country has provided global tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, HP and Facebook new fodder to chew and these companies are now coming out with newer ideas to secure a slice of India's digital pie.

More enticing for the tech giants is the 'Digital India' programme, which besides the $1.2 billion smart cities plan, has components such as virtual classrooms and technology start-ups.

The programme also aims to connect 2.5 lakh village panchayats through fibre optic cables to provide high-speed broadband by 2017.

Google has proposed a network of helium-filled balloons to provide inexpensive internet access to inaccessible areas of the country, while Facebook is interested in partnering the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) programme.

Alternatively, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has suggested deployment of large, inexpensive, solar-powered drones the size of Jumbo Jets that will be able to fly for years at a time and facilitate broadband connectivity across the world. Facebook is looking to launch a pilot project in Seemandhra, which is more technology-friendly among Indian states.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has proposed the use of ''white space'' - unused spectrum between two TV channels - to provide internet connectivity in remote areas of India. White space is the frequencies allotted to a broadcasting service but is unused and is considered to have potential for providing wireless broadband internet access in rural areas.

Microsoft suggested the use of spectrum in the sub gigahertz band that is unused by Doordarshan. This technology has been implemented in the US and in Singapore and is being tested in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and the Philippines.

Microsoft would use spectrum unused by Doordarshan, in the sub gigahertz band. This technology has been implemented in the US and in Singapore and is being tested in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and the Philippines, among others.

Microsoft is reported to have already submitted a proposal to the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

Besides, companies like Cisco and IBM too have joined the band to submit proposals to local governments for projects and collaborate with real estate developers to build greenfield digital cities.