3G HSDPA technology to empower rural communities

QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, launched its Wireless Reach initiative in Sri Lanka through the opening of a Last Mile Initiative (LMI) Centre in Wennappuwa.

The centre, known as Easy Seva, is one of 15 that will be launched in the country with support from QUALCOMM, Dialog Telekom, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Development Bank (NDB) and Synergy Strategies Group (SSG), which, through a bulk purchase package of equipment, software, content and services, have created a new, market-driven approach to set up rural community-based centres.

The centres will carry the name of this unique Easy Seva brand and are expected to provide unprecedented quality of service to the communities they serve.

The goal of the Easy Seva centres is to develop entrepreneurs in the Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Sri Lanka by deploying 3G mobile broadband Internet service at village level and enabling them to offer access to affordable ICT-enabled services and content.

The centres are enabled with 3G mobile broadband connectivity based on Dialog's HSDPA network. They will employ an innovative franchise approach, which will aim to create a profitable and sustainable business model for extending ICT services and connectivity to rural consumers.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with Dialog Telekom and USAID on our Wireless Reach initiative to empower rural communities in Sri Lanka," said, president of QUALCOMM India and SAARC Kanwalinder Singh. "We congratulate Dialog Telekom for being the first operator in the SAARC region to launch HSDPA for rural applications.

It reaffirms that 3G HSDPA has the versatility to deliver next-generation services to all consumers, rural and urban, while offering a compelling business opportunity for operators and rural entrepreneurs."

The Easy Seva centres also will help rural residents to acquire employment skills through online training, explore new job opportunities, receive micro-loans and other banking services, as well as to call relatives and friends overseas at low rates.

The centres use a unique private sector model to facilitate financial sustainability with an innovative, highly-standardised package of equipment, services, training and market support for the franchisees called the "Easy Seva Franchise in a Box."

By standardising these offerings, the franchise model will reduce barriers to entry while simultaneously reducing operating costs for the franchisees.