A tiny chip designed in Bengaluru, the size of a postage stamp, might hold the answer to connecting India’s rural population to the internet, an ambitious goal being chased by the likes of Google, Facebook and Microsoft.
The chip, called Pruthvi, powers a system which can use television White Space — or wasted spectrum bandwidth — to beam internet to scores of households. This innovation by Saankhya Labs, is important in today’s India, where on one hand the government is pushing its ambitious ‘Digital India’ programme and on the other, large technology companies are working on similar goals.Founded in 2007 by Naik, Hemant Mallapur and Vishwakumara Kayargadde, the company has developed a system called Meghdoot, powered by its Pruthvi chip, which can utilize the existing TV White Space bandwidth available in India to provide wireless broadband to remote areas.
