Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg meets PM Narendra Modi & IT minister, agrees to partner govt in NOFN project

Zuckerberg, 30, was on a two-day visit to India, during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prasad, besides industry leaders.

By Anandita Singh Mankotia, ET Bureau | Oct 11, 2014, 12.15 PM IST

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg meets PM Narendra Modi & IT minister, agrees to partner govt in NOFN project

NEW DELHI: India could be the first country in which Facebook deploys drones to provide broadband connectivity in remote and inaccessible areas, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg proposing a pilot project to bridge this digital divide during his meeting with communications and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday.

According to people familiar with the discussions, the minister sought Facebook as a partner in the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) programme, which aims to connect 2.5 lakh village panchayats through high-speed broadband by 2017. “Zuckerberg readily agreed,“ one of the persons told ET.

He proposed that Facebook could contribute to India’s Rs 21,000-crore NOFN project on last-mile connectivity. He spoke of alternate technology such as drones and satellite communications playing a critical part in this last-mile linkage.

“He said the company was keen on testing the pilot project in a few states in India, especially Seemandhra, given the state’s emphasis on technology,” the person added.

Facebook's Connectivity Lab is actively developing large, inexpensive, solar-powered drones that will be able to fly for years at a time, the division’s engineering director Yael Maguire announced earlier this year. These unmanned vehicles will be about the size of a Boeing 747 but weigh only as much as four car tyres while serving as large connectivity hubs.

Keen on India Initiatives

At the Delhi meeting on Friday, Facebook also expressed its willingness to set up a server in India to handle the data transmitted through the drones and other alternative technology and comply with the government’s security requirements, according to another person who spoke to ET.

According to people at the hour-long meeting, which included officials of the telecom department and the company, the usually shy billionaire was very forthcoming, listing a number of initiatives in which the Facebook wanted to partner with the Indian government such as e-health, education, providing free basic services and alternative technologies. Facebook didn't respond to ET's request for comment.

Under the government's ambitious Digital India initiative, the government plans use the NOFN project to deliver e-services in areas such as health, education etc to every nook and corner of the country.

However, reaching the end consumer--homes, schools, hospitals and other institutions-—may require wireless technology, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. This is where Facebook senses an opportunity to use its yet-to-be-developed drones.

Facebook also sought the nomination of senior ministry officials it could liaise with on such projects, to which the minister immediately agreed. “We have dedicated some officials from my ministry to work closely with Facebook on their proposals to expand digital services in the country,” Prasad said.

Two joint secretaries – one each from telecom and IT - will be the single-point contacts for the social networking giant, especially on modalities related to the alternate technology, including drones, that Facebook proposes to deploy in India, subject to security clearances.

To be sure, while the Indian government is keen on Facebook’s participation in promoting local entrepreneurship and developing localised content for the Digital India programme, it remains to be seen whether it will allow unmanned drones to operate in the country.

The Mumbai police recently raised objections when a food outlet used a four-rotor drone to deliver pizza. Such airborne devices could face questions from the aviation regulator apart from any misgivings the security establishment may have.

Zuckerberg, 30, was on a two-day visit to India, during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prasad, besides industry leaders. He also delivered the keynote address at the internet.

org summit. The notfor-profit internet.org partnership was set up last year by Facebook along with mobile phone technology providers Samsung, Mediatek, Qualcomm, Nokia, Opera Software and Ericsson.

It’s aimed at providing affordable internet access across the globe. Addressing the summit in the capital on Thursday, Zuckergberg had said that more than 1 billion people in India didn’t have access to the Net and that he would discuss this with Modi.

The drones that Facebook is developing would fly at a height of 60,000 to 90,000 feet above the ground, far above commercial jetliners and at a level where they wouldn’t be affected by the weather, effectively making them invisible.

In order to continuously provide Wi-Fi coverage, they would be powered by the sun, Maguire had said, adding that these could be tested in the US as early as next year.

Search engine giant Google is another tech firm looking at ways of providing internet access through drones and balloons. In April, Google outbid Facebook for US dronemaker Titan Aerospace. Facebook subsequently acquired UK-based drone company Ascenta for $20 m.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's India visit: 7 highlights

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ET Bureau

During his two-day trip to India, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised a host of things, including initiatives to provide better broadband connectivity through drones. Zuckerberg met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged his support to the latter's 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.

We take a look at seven key highlights of Mark Zuckerberg's India visit: