Will the Change Happen: 3G in Rural India

Many of us must have seen Deepika Padhukone’s advertisement by BSNL where she is shown assisting a delivery using a 3G service. This advertisement is a typical example of how 3G can be beneficial in remote rural India and how it can be used to bridge the gap between the urban and rural sector.

3G offers endless possibilities to India, but to reap them specifically in rural parts would be a road full of challenges. With the spectrum now available even to the private players, the services are bound to get better and more penetrative. This article would tell you how 3G can be beneficial for the rural India, what are the major challenges that can confront its penetration and what can be the solution for the same.

Benefits

Technology is yet to knock on the doors of the rural people. Also, affordable and easy to use technological applications have always been scarcely available to them. 3G can play a revolutionary role in changing the traditional practices in rural India. High internet speeds would allow faster access of photos and videos on mobile by farmers. Very few farmers can speak and understand English which limits their access to urban markets, but using these videos and pictures would help overcome this language barrier. Farmers can also view the latest trends in the ‘Mandi rates’ across various places and take informed decisions. Farmers can get tips using videos, Live weather information, Live consultations etc over internet regarding their crop. Using these applications and features, Agriculture would gain a lot. Similarly, if we talk about Healthcare, even basic medical provisions have been difficult to reach isolated and remote areas, technology can prove to be the much needed shot in the arm. Using the 3G network, Live and interactive checkups and reporting is possible which would help improve the much beleaguered rural healthcare sector. In this way, even the rural people can access services from the top notch doctors of India as well as abroad remotely and without their physical presence.

Education levels in the rural sector have always been on the problematic levels. It needs a thrust to get it rolling and help India increase her education levels. 3G can also help in this regard by providing possibilities of Live interactive education classes as well as monitoring of students from a remote location. This technological advancement could change the face of Indian rural education where there is a lack of reputed teachers and most of the schools are located at far away distances. Also, Online government applications would be possible using the 3G network through which the villagers could save themselves from the government bureaucracy. Also, the villagers could have access to government initiatives online. This can add the dimension of e-governance for the rural people.

Challenges

The major challenge according to me would be the reluctance of the rural people to ‘change’ from their age old methods and adopt the change. Most important parameter to overcome this would be to gain their confidence, make them friendly to the change, and most importantly make them understand the need for this. The rural people are not the kind of people who are techno savvy and would definitely face problems to accept this methodology and technology dependence. The income levels of people would also be a dithering factor for the reach as people would be reluctant to buy new resources like an expensive mobile phone which is 3G enabled and invest in these 3G services. Moreover, if we see the other side it provides an opportunity as mobile 3G services can make Internet services more easily accessible compared to using a PC, which needs steady electricity supplies, maintenance, broadband services and other infrastructure which are missing in large swathes of rural India. It’s just a matter of making the rural people understand the need for the change.

It would be equally tricky for the telecom service providers to propel 3G in rural areas. The service providers would need to make some expensive advancement in their present mobile network setups. Eg. They have to add an extra base station infrastructure (like Node- B) and make similar changes in the Mobile switching systems. Despite of this, they would be definitely skeptical about the Average Revenue per User (ARPU) generated from rural India. Due to this many service providers would definitely face a dilemma of launching 3G services in rural areas.

What I suggest

To overcome the above said challenges and for the service providers to reap benefits faster and constantly, they should assist the change in the rural India in a well co-ordinated and planned manner. A Government/NGO assisted ‘Experience Centre’ should be opened in each village. This centre should have the vision to make the rural people aware of the benefits they can draw from 3G services and then make them realize the importance of this change in their lives. The centre should educate the rural people about the various services and how can they utilize and use them in their mundane works. Also, some medical camps should be held using the technology involving doctors of high repute which could actually instill a great confidence in the rural people minds. Children should be offered educational classes and make them feel a part of some distant class by Live interaction with the teachers and students. Initiatives like these can make a mark in the rural market and the reluctance to change factor could be overcome. Let us hope that 3G is able to actually “bell the rural India”.

Naveen is a fresher from Kurukshetra University. Music is one of his passions and sports come as close second. The telecom industry has always gained an important place in his heart, which prompted us to get him to write on 3G. A short spell of Amsterdam did oodles of good to his already ‘accented’ accent. Though his presence was greatly missed by one and all at IIFT Kolkata, he is back to spread joy and entertainment in and around classes.