Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc. Sundar Pichai announced on Wednesday that the company will actively work towards implementing its Project Loon in India to grant the country’s rural regions access to the Internet. Speaking at the "Google for India" event, he also elaborated on their plans for Railwire, which aims to equip 500 railway stations across India with a Wi-Fi network.
“In 2016, more than 100 stations will be covered. The infrastructure and testing at Mumbai Central will start by January,” Pichai said. With plans to expand its Hyderabad and Bangalore offices, the tech giant wants to help more than 2 million small businesses in India grow using platforms such as its Google My Business service.
He added that as part of its plan to reach 300,000 villages in the country, Google is also working on a special project to help women in rural India learn how to use the Internet. “We are doing this with Internet Saathi. We are giving women volunteers cycles that will help them reach remote areas and teach women how to use the Internet. This is being done across 1,000 villages,” said Pichai, who is on his first visit to India since becoming CEO.
He also showcased Google’s new mobile phone Android One, emphasising that such devices will ensure that millions of users in India get inexpensive access to Internet.
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