Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) has joined hands with Nicholas Negroponte to provide Internet connectivity to the One Laptop Per Child Project.
Yesterday, the most-awaited OLPC laptop was launched and now users can experience the internet service, network backbone and logistic by Reliance. At present, the first pilot of the XO laptop is supposed to be in tribal village at Khairat (near Karjat, Maharashtra). By March 2008, OLPC Foundation with the Reliance network aims to cover more than 25,000 towns and 60,000 villages.
Sumit Chowdhury, CIO, RCOM, remarked, “We will facilitate this system by getting all the players together like Government agencies, NGOs, content developers, translators, teaching community and project managers to create successful ecosystems. We plan to approach state governments who have an education agenda and see if any public-private partnership can be worked out for the mass adoption of these laptops.”
The Linux-based laptop has the ability to consume very less power, around 2 watts. It features 1GB of flash drive, leaving behind the high capacity hard disk drive. It also comes with built-in camera, multi-media and sun readable capabilities. You can also power the laptop through alternative sources of energy.
Nicholas Negroponte, former director of the MIT Media Lab, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Founder of OLPC Foundation said, “Children are the world’s most precious natural resource. India has more child population than any other country and will benefit greatly from a creative society of them. India needs to take a role of world leadership in the concept of one laptop per child, even if it is ahead of its time and seemingly daunting. OLPC is proudly partnering with Reliance to do just that.”
Instead of being syllabus-oriented, OLPC programme is application-oriented and will be a water-proof and almost unbreakable device.
“Every child has the right to education. Reliance Communication is going to facilitate that right. This is not a laptop but an educational programme which will promote e-learning in the country,” RADAG Chairman Anil Ambani’s wife Tina Ambani.
The OLPC XO laptop that actually costs $188 will be available in India for $220 (approx. Rs. 8800). The one laptop per child group thinks that the price will come down to $115 in a few years time.
