India is working its way towards handy and cheap laptops andtablets for its people and with Aakash-2 that dream has almost been fulfilled.However, it is still struggling to provide low-cost connectivity to thesedevices without which they would be rendered useless. It is to plug this gapthat young entrepreneur Vinny Jeet Lohan has developed a software whichpromises to provide internet connectivity to rural masses using the humbleradio set.
In terms of reach, the good ol’ transistor still beatsmobile phone and internet hands down. According to All India Radio, 92 percentof India’s geographical area and 99 percent of its population is covered byradio. Although urban Indians access radio only on their phones and forentertainment purpose, a large percentage of the population also depends on theradio for information. However, it seems now that it is the most underusedmedium which is waiting to be discovered fully. Through Lohan’s software one cansend and receive all kinds of files, play games and even update one’s computerin no time. He presented his innovation at the Manthan awards ceremony held atIndia Habitat Centre in the national capital on December 1.
The software called ‘OneBeep’ helps one access the internetwith a simple radio set or through one’s cell phone radio. The software helpsto break a file (text, picture, audio or video) into its binary components andconverts it into a sound signal that can be sent through radio waves andbroadcast from your local radio station (AM or FM). A radio receiver attachedto the computer intercepts this sound signal and transmits it to the computerwith the help of a connecting cord. This signal is converted into the file thatwas originally sent. Infrastructurecost: a simple radio set and a cheap audio connecting cord.
The idea to develop software of this kind struck Lohan in2009 when he participated in the Microsoft Imagine Cup, which aimed at usingtechnology to solve the world’s toughest problems. What drew his attention wasthe utter lack of connectivity, which spoiled even the best of intentions “Howdo you send them books? How do you send them learning material? How do you sendthem anything at all (in the absence of internet)?” Lohan says.
The internet you access through OneBeep is not theconventional Google-Facebook-Twitter internet. It is not the World Wide Webeither. It is a network that helps send (and receive) audio, video, text,pictures and even update files to people who are in remote areas. Privateplayers do not provide internet connectivity in these areas as it does not makebusiness sense to them.
Developing the software hasn’t been a cakewalk. There havebeen challenges and Lohan admits that it has taken him and his team “ KayoLakadia, chief analyst and daily operations management at OneBeep, and ChanyeolYoo, chief architect and technical lead of the OneBeep software “ a lot tobring the software to its present level.
At present there is very little or no transmission loss withOneBeep which means that one receives the files in the same way as they weresent. This software is ideal for classrooms in remote areas which have low-costcomputers or other devices. Children can learn through games, audio files,e-books and videos.
Lohan wants OneBeep to be an open source software so thateveryone is able to download it and he has been in talks with the government ofIndia and hopes they will make use of the software. However, the pace of thetalks has been slow. The government intervention will not be necessary afterthe website for OneBeep is launched from where one can download the software.
