Alternative Power

Ericsson (News - Alert), the GSM Association’s Development Fund and the Indian mobile operator Idea Cellular will jointly develop biofuels as a source of power for wireless networks in rural India.

The three organizations will reportedly begin using biofuels in a pilot project in Pune, Maharashtra. Biofuels will be used to power mobile base stations located beyond the reach of the electricity grid.

In the first phase of the project the companies are testing the feasibility of non-edible plant-based fuels, such as cotton and jatropha. While the first phase of the project is nearing completion, the second phase of the project will entail setting up a supply chain using locally grown crops to produce biodiesel to power between five and 10 base stations in the Maharashtra region.

According to Sanjeev Aga, chairman of IDEA Cellular almost three-quarters of India’s population lives in rural areas that often lack a reliable power supply and therefore biofuels will help them further extend mobile coverage into these areas bringing major economic and social benefits to rural communities.

“The early adoption of biofuels will give Idea a pioneering role in the development of cost-effective and environmentally-sustainable mobile networks to serve rural communities,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA, the global trade association for mobile operators in a press release.

He continued: “We look forward to sharing the expertise and knowledge gained from this project with other mobile operators around the world.”

Mats Granryd, managing director, Ericsson India believes one of the biggest challenges is to overcome operational issues associated with the lack of basic infrastructure as GSM operators expand their network coverage into new areas.

Granryd added that through this initiative, they are also involving local communities in the wireless revolution and taking the benefits of technology to the masses.

The companies are aiming to have these base stations powered by cotton or jatropha by mid-2007.

The GSMA’s Development Fund was set up in October 2005 to catalyse the role of mobile technology in social, economic and environmental development.

As India’s major GSM Mobile Services operator, IDEA Cellular has licenses to operate in 11 circles and a customer base of over 10 million.

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Anuradha Shukla is a contributing editor for TMCnet, covering call centers, CRM and information technology. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.