Deepshikha Monga, New Delhi
The Economic Times The Times of India
Telecom software products and services firm Aricent is in talks with Indian telecom operators to set up an innovation lab in India to develop products, platforms and user interface for different user segments, especially in rural India. Aricent would first set up such a lab in India and later, take it to other emerging and developed markets, said the company CEO Sudip Nandy.
“Telecom operators in India say that the next 100 million subscribers would largely come from rural areas. But rural India has its own set of challenges relating to infrastructure and user interface,” said Nandy.
India had about 403 million wireless subscribers at the end of April. With a total tele-density of 37.94, there is a lot of room for growth.
Aricent provides solutions for user interface design, location-based services, mobile operating systems and applications integration, among others. It works with device manufacturers, network equipment firms and communication service providers.
The proposed innovation lab, which will come up at Gurgaon, will come up with solutions to address challenges related to telecom infrastructure such as powering telecom base stations in rural India and usability such as voice-based interface for illiterate consumers and applications in local languages.
Aricent is looking at clinching a revenue share deal with operators in India. The KKR-promoted firm has about 6,000 employees in India, out of its global headcount of 8,000.
The firm has been involved in Project Masiluleke in South Africa, where mobile phones have been used for HIV/AIDS and TB care.
The project includes sending messages on HIV/AIDS and TB to consumers and asking them to connect to call centres for queries. Patients are sent text messages to alert them about their anti-retroviral therapy sessions. In its third phase, the project provides a self-testing kit, along with counselling on mobile phones.
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