Do we have the technological wherewithal to connect villages right across India? How much will these technologies cost? Can we afford them? The most daunting challenges can be summarised in three categories.

Connectivity tele phony
"There are barely 29 million telephones in India. Telecom infrastructure in small towns and villages hardly exists. Even in urban areas, each telephone connection costs more than Rs 30,000. To break even, an operator needs to earn at least Rs 9,000 per year. Not more than 3-4 per cent of the urban population can afford this,' says Ashok Jhunjhunwala, head of electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai. Telephones in villages are far more costly