Real-time Live

Real-time provides some exciting possibilities. From
much-talked about real-time music and video streaming and live video news, to
movies and train/plane tickets, restaurant and menu options, grocery shopping
carts for mobile shopping lists and m-wallet, providing easy and cheap credit to
farmers-all these and much more are soon to be made available in India by a low
cost wireless and mobile technology solution, with a sprinkling of location
based services

RML and other providers have already ventured into the
rural space with crop information, expert market advice and weather alerts for
farmers.
BSNL has recently launched new
telemedicine services in rural areas
which work with a wireless screening setup with means of motion sensors and a
camera connected over a BSNL wireless line which can in turn connect to rural
towns. So that patients in villages can get connected with city doctors and
converse with them via built-in technology.

In the field of tele-education,
TTSL is looking at
introducing video kiosks in remote villages to help teach rural kids from the
comfort of their homes. This would save time, infrastructure and resources to
set up a separate teaching facility.

Thus, through touch screens, children can learn and play.
Options include drawing, academics, music, etc, which are also projection based,
and can be simulated for sound effects for musical instruments learning, etc.
High-end camera sensors connected to projectors and fitted with mirrors can help
children have visual aids and simultaneously connect on an eye-to-eye level with
teachers in other areas for a complete classroom environment.

Other new motion-sensor technology also includes landslide
motion sensors, which basically make use of low-cost sensors and wireless signal
processing technologies which can help in detection of storms, tsunamis and
other natural disasters by using GPS technology linked to dial-up or any other
available network, which can then flash advisory warnings and sirens across
kiosks along the coast making it a low cost safety solution.

This combination of motion sensor wireless and cellular
technology has also been adopted by Sula Wines to help in processing and
temperature control. For homes, multi house cellular technology can help in
pollution control, gas leakage, etc, which is picked up by motion sensors in
cellphones. Smart meters also make use of motion sensors to control devices and
conserve energy.

Catching Up Fast

Another concept picking up today is m-commerce and m-banking. Bank of India
is working on financial inclusion through smart cards, hand-held devices and all
other local network options in rural areas-be it GPRS, landline connectivity,
etc, to provide services in remote areas, so that people need not travel to a
town and can bank from the comfort of their homes, thus saving time and
resources. Core banking and financial inclusion using mobile technology and GPRS
for transactions through mobile, and hand-held devices are some of the options
soon to be implemented.

Location based services with real-time options are also
the latest to be introduced in portable navigation devices. Companies like
Tele
Atlas and
MapMyIndia are looking at new mobile technology options besides
traffic updates, which have been found to be the most popular services. There
are other services like providing directions as well as alerts on sales in
favorite stores, vouchers and discount coupons and more, customized to
individual customer needs.

In association with Google Maps, Tele Atlas is also
looking at introducing maps at the click of a button, whereby by clicking the
name of a location or clicking a photograph of it, users will immediately be
provided with directions for the destination as well as trivia about the
location, and also possible directions to other interesting locations in the
area.

Cost-effective, extremely informative and useful, thus,
real-time and location based options are the new technology trends to watch out
for, and telcos are increasingly looking to introduce them in all
handsets-low-cost to high-end; making wireless technology available to a wider
range of cellular customers in rural and urban areas.

Beryl M

berylm@cybermedia.co.in