“We are helping accelerate digital education in India”

Bharti Airtel recently announced that it has won the Cloud and CDN mandate from the Digital India Corporation (DIC). The project aims to power India’s national platform for open education digital content Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (Diksha). It also means that the Diksha application and website will be powered by Airtel Cloud, enabling students across the country to access free educational content in their preferred Indian language. Airtel Cloud will also lead the migration of Diksha to Oracle Cloud. Interestingly, Diksha offers over 9,300 courses in more than 35 Indian languages. It has witnessed over 50 billion learning sessions and 60 billion minutes of usage by students. Pratima Harigunani caught up with Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO – Enterprise Business and Business Head – Cloud, Airtel Business to double-click on this handshake and what it can transpire ahead. Excerpts from the interview:

How much change and speed will this initiative bring and how will it benefit the Digital India Corporation?

At Airtel Business, we are committed to fostering collaborations that can help enhance the country’s stride to a digital tomorrow. This partnership is in line with this commitment and aims to accelerate the Digital India initiative of the government. With the strengths and capabilities of Airtel Cloud, the Diksha app and website will now be seamlessly accessible to students and teachers across 28 states and eight Union Territories who can now enjoy over a billion hours of learning content in their preferred language.

What would the CDN element bring in here?

Airtel Cloud’s low latency and high-bandwidth Edge CDN solution will transform the way education content is consumed digitally. It will help Diksha to distribute the content effectively on its digital platforms, enabling students even in the remotest locations in the country to access educational content efficiently.

Airtel will help Diksha to distribute content on its digital platforms enabling students in remote locations to access educational content efficiently.

What new can network, Cloud and latency do in such projects of national scale and significance?

We are helping accelerate digital education in India. Our capacity will enable Diksha to scale and widen its content offerings exhaustively. With this, the platform will be able to add more content, especially regional content that every student in the country can access in their local language from over 35 languages. With Airtel Cloud, students can enjoy a fantastic experience of Diksha without any buffering or loading delays.

Network, cloud and latency play crucial roles in advancing missions of national scale and significance in several ways, including improvements in connectivity. A robust network infrastructure ensures reliable and widespread internet connectivity, enabling citizens across the country to access digital services, education and information easily. We can also move towards enhanced access to services. As Network expansion and improved connectivity enable more people to access government services, healthcare facilities, education platforms, and e-commerce, bridging the urban-rural divide and promoting inclusivity. Also, Cloud computing enables the storage, processing, and analysis of vast amounts of data, facilitating scalable and efficient delivery of digital services, such as e-governance, digital payments, and online education. Thus, elevating scalability and efficiency parts.

What about the latency factor?

Low latency networks provide faster and more responsive connections, enabling real-time communication, video streaming, and other time-sensitive applications. This enhances user experience and enables seamless access to digital services. By leveraging network infrastructure, and Cloud technologies, and reducing latency, the Digital India mission can accelerate the adoption of digital services, improve access to information and empower citizens across the country. Besides, secure cloud infrastructure helps protect sensitive data and ensures privacy, fostering trust in digital transactions and encouraging individuals to participate in online activities.

Students and teachers across 28 states and eight UTs can now enjoy over a billion hours of learning content in their preferred language.

So, what unique proposition is Airtel bringing to the table in this case?

Airtel’s strength lies in its mobility services. A large percentage of the devices on which the students and teachers will access this content will be using Airtel mobility service. With a strong 4G coverage and fast expanding 5G coverage, the performance of our CDN on these devices will be much better.

How different would this be from other edtech platforms already available in the country?

Diksha sets itself apart from other edtech platforms already existing in the country through its scale and accessibility. With over 9,300 courses available in multiple Indian languages, Diksha offers one of the largest collections of free education content worldwide. The platform has witnessed billions of learning sessions and minutes of usage, demonstrating its popularity and impact. The partnership with Airtel further strengthens Diksha’s capabilities by leveraging its cloud and CDN solutions, enabling seamless access to educational content for students across the country.

Ganesh Lakshminarayanan

CEO – Enterprise Business and Business Head – Cloud, Airtel Business

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in