Betting big on India, Google’s new CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday pledged to train two million Indian developers for its Android operating system over the next three years, promote internet use among
Betting big on India, Google’s new CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday pledged to train two million Indian developers for its Android operating system over the next three years, promote internet use among rural women in thousands of villages and expand its campus in Hyderabad to get more people online.
The programme to train app developers will make it easier for Indian developers to build solutions to local problems.
Google is also working with Indian Railways and Railtel to launch RailWire Wifi, providing free WiFi in train stations. Mumbai Central will be the first to go online in January 2016, with 100 more on the way.
The Chromebit, a small device that turns a monitor into a computer, will be available in India starting in January, meant to help boost computing in the education sector.
Mr Pichai also unveiled Google’s plan to use India as a testing ground for its products as it targets hundreds of millions of consumers in the developing world set to move online in the next few years. “We think that what we build in India will apply to many global places,” said India born Mr Pichai, who is on his first official visit to the country since taking the top job in August.
Mr Pichai said India will overtake the US in terms of the users of Android, that competes with Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. Google expects that by 2018, more than 500 million users will be online in India.
Mr Pichai expressed the hope to soon start tests for its Project Loon in India, which aims to bring affordable Internet access, even as the government holds the view that the project would come in the way of mobile transmission. “Project Loon will launch balloons in the sky to help reach out to rural areas,” he said. He said the company will work with carriers and is hopeful that Project Loon can work as a “backbone” to offer Internet connectivity in areas without coverage.
In India, Google has approached the government to set up the Loon project that has potential to replace mobile towers as it can directly transmit signals on 4G mobile phones. Google, under its Project Loon, is using big balloons floating at 20 km above earth surface for transmission of Internet.
