Interesting Demos on how villages can bridge digital divide mark IEEE’s “Connect a Community” program in Hulimangala

BENGALURU:

Over 2.6 billion people – nearly a third of the global population do not have access to the internet; the majority of these individuals live in developing countries. These individuals live beyond the edge of connectivity, often in remote villages where internet connectivity is either scarcely available or non-existent. Despite the internet becoming central to everything from education to banking to healthcare and disaster response, a vast segment of humanity remains in the darkness.

The IEEE’s  ‘Connecting the Unconnected (CTU)’ was a global competition that solicited solutions from start-ups, grassroots organizations, universities, or anyone else who is working to bridge this digital divide in innovative ways. Organized by the IEEE Future Networks Technical Community (FNTC) and other partners, the competition recognized and honored applications from early-stage projects that offer unique ways to increase broadband access and usage for unconnected or under-connected populations/geographies.

As part of the tangible outcome of the CTU Challenge, the IEEE Future Networks hosted a ‘Connect a Community’ day at Hulimangala village Gram Panchayat, located 30 kms from Bengaluru today. 

Organized as a daylong program, the ‘Connect a Community’ day saw demos of ten innovative solutions to villages in India to help such rural communities in bridging the digital divide. The program was also an effort to recognize how IEEE Challenges/Award winners have shown significant growth from their ideation stage to a sustained business solution. The IEEE Future Networks Technical Committee (FNTC) and IEEE Future Directions Initiative (FDI) supported the day long program.

“Over 25000 villages are still unconnected in India. Through our IEEE Connect a Community effort, we are taking technology to the heart of rural regions to ensure that rural connectivity is talked beyond infrastructure. It is about turning connectivity into empowerment, fostering digital confidence, and vision into real impact for every village we reach,” said Ashutosh Dutta, Founding Co-Chair, IEEE Future Networks World Forum & FNEM

Locals living nearby Hulimangala Gram Panchayat from over 9 villages and other relevant stakeholders, including technologists, government, academia, and students, attended the daylong program. “These demos will initiate discussions and serve to drive transformation of rural communities into innovation-driven ecosystem where local talent can thrive,” added Ashutosh Dutta.

Amrita University showcased its demo on healthcare named ‘Wearable IoMT and AI for Health’, a wearable monitoring device that revolutionizes the health monitoring mechanism. Another demo called CR Bolo (Community Radio Bolo), led by Ritu Srivastava from Lucknow, allows local communities to access local content even without internet connectivity. The third demo from a startup called Uayki is for educational content sharing. A fourth demo is on a solution for internet connectivity that can use multiple providers concurrently (so that if one connection fails, then at least the other connection can be used at the Gram Panchayat to provide internet service and emergency services locally and reliably). This was from Professor Mohit Tahiliani from the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal. Dr. Sudhir Dixit from Basic Internet Foundation show cased the Internet4All technology that provides free access to non-video content (called Internet Lite) and approved digital public goods (DPGs) and full Internet on a paid basis with an innovative Freemium business model.

“As a winner of IEEE CTU Challenge 2022, it was a privilege to present our journey at IEEE Connect a Community and FNEM Connect. Such platforms give opportunity to technological innovators like us to bring affordable, indigenous technologies and showcase how such cost-effective connectivity models empower rural voices and bridge the digital divide in India,” said Ritu Srivastava, Winner of CTU Challenge 2022 &  Director, Jadeite Solutions

IEEE Future Directions displayed their IEEE 5G/6G Innovation Testbed, a cloud-based, end-to-end 5G network emulator that enables testing and experimentation of 5G products and services. 

“IEEE Connect a Community in association with IEEE Future Directions are making an effort to turn emerging technologies into meaningful, people-centered solutions that transform lives. Through this initiative, we are taking innovation beyond laboratories and urban centers to rural and underserved regions, empowering communities with access to connectivity, education, and opportunities. Connect a Community is not just about deploying technology; it’s about creating ecosystems of inclusion, collaboration, and sustainable development. It represents our collective commitment to ensuring that the benefits of digital transformation reach every individual, regardless of geography or background. By connecting the unconnected, we pave the way for a more equitable, resilient, and empowered world where technology truly serves humanity,” said Rakesh Kumar, Chair of  IEEE Future Directions, DataPort

The IIIT- Bangalore presented their ‘Wireless communication-based IoT compost’, which is a remote compost monitoring solution that would not only aid sustainable agriculture but also help reduce the city’s garbage woes and bring down the manual labour involved in composting. 

“We were very happy to present our work on ‘IoT enabled remote Compost monitoring system’ at CTU Connect — the Community and Future Networks Empowerment through Mentorship (FNEM) Connect Demos & Meeting. If I talk about our project, we have designed an IoT-based solution for monitoring large-scale composting systems. The sensor unit can monitor quantities such as temperature, humidity, and pH that are important for successful composting. Human intervention is needed only when the measurements are off the desired range. We have designed an RF communication system that is energy-efficient and reduces battery consumption.Generally, the quality of compost is monitored manually, but our device will reduce the manual effort and help determine the optimum setting for successful composting. We believe these kinds of monitoring solutions would not only aid sustainable agriculture but also help reduce the city’s garbage woes,” apprised Prof. Jyotsna Bapat, Professor, IIIT-Bangalore and Principal Investigator of the project.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Govt. of India, displayed two of their innovative solutions: (1) NISHA: Network of Interlinked Satellites for High Availability, and (2) DRISHTI: Directional RIS for Hilly Terrains of India that aims to provide affordable and reliable connectivity in unconnected areas.

“At C-DOT, we are on a mission to ensure that a wireless signal reaches every corner of the country, and every part of the planet. In particular, we are pursuing novel low-cost satellite- based non-terrestrial connectivity solutions, and we are also exploring novel techniques to extend terrestrial coverage as well. We share a common goal with the IEEE Connecting the Unconnected effort and the IEEE’s Connect a Community initiative to strive for digital inclusion and technology inclusion and to provide connectivity and essential services to all people everywhere, and to leave no one behind,” said Dilip Krishnaswamy, Director, C-DOT.

The Future Networks Empowerment through Mentorship (FNEM) Connect meeting will follow the IEEE’s ‘Connect a Community’ program. The IEEE FNEM is a global initiative of the FNTC and the Lemelson Foundation. ​The FNEM Connect aims to introduce and build early momentum amongst technological innovators who are starting their entrepreneurial journey. This meeting aims to create awareness about the FNEM upcoming launch-taking place in India during 2026. The FNEM program offers 1000 days of Learning, Action, Mentorship, and Practice (LAMP) to technological innovators specifically in the hardware segment, and gives them the flexibility to decide their own entrepreneurial mentorship journey.

“Through the IEEE Future Networks Empowerment through Mentorship (FNEM) program, together with the “Connect a Community” demonstrations, we are bringing the One IEEE framework to underserved and unconnected communities in India. By linking membership with meaningful connectivity, we are nurturing technological solutions that bridge the digital divide, uplift communities, and transform grassroots innovation into sustainable progress,” concluded Ruolin Zhou, UMass, MA, USA & FNTC Steering Committee Member