Google will soon help India to set up base for free Wi-Fi while Microsoft will take low-cost broadband to villages across the country. Here are the key tech announcements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to US:
1) Google announces plans to offer free Wi-Fi at 500 stations
Google will soon help India set up base for free Wi-Fi at 500 railway stations. Google CEO Sunder Pichai praised PM Narendra Modi for accelerating India’s efforts to become the next global in the field of innovation.
“We are expanding our public Wi-Fi hotspots. For example, we want to ensure that free Wi Fi is not only there in airport lounges, but also on our railway platforms. Teaming up with Google, we will cover 500 railway stations in a short time”, Modi told a gathering of Silicon Valley CEOs.
2) Microsoft to take low-cost technology to villages
Microsoft will take low-cost technology to some five lakh villages across the country. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made one of the key tech announcements and said it will announce cloud computing systems from data centres in India, calling it a “big milestone”.
“We believe that low-cost broadband connectivity coupled with the scale of cloud computing intelligence that can be harnessed from data can help drive creativity, efficiency and productivity across governments and businesses of all sizes,” the first Indian-American Microsoft CEO said.
3) Qualcomm will invest USD 150 million for Indian startups
With the effort to push Digital India initiative, Qualcomm said that it will invest $150 million for Indian startups. Qualcomm executive chairman Paul E Jacobs said, “We are committed to providing local innovative start-ups with the support needed to help India’s IOE (Internet of Everything) ecosystem grow, increasing consumer choice and availability.” “We share Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy”, he added.
4) Apple likely to set up manufacturing base in India
PM Narendra Modi also invited Apple to set up a manufacturing base in India to which CEO Tim Cook responded positively. “The Prime Minister (in his meeting with Cook) said he would like Apple to start manufacturing in India. He mentioned the huge opportunities India offered,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters.
5) Google to promote digital Literacy
One of the key tech announcement was made by Google’s CEO Sunder Pichai that next month Google would make it possible to type in 10 different languages in India, including Gujarati. India-born Pichai said Google is also working on many connectivity projects.
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