Telecom operator Vodafone has kicked off a mobile internet awareness program for rural school children in Maharashtra, India.
Gammat Jammat, a mobile Internet initiative from Vodafone India, is part of the telecom giant’s strategy to democratize data and drive adoption and usage in the rural heartland of the state.
As part of the rural telecom strategy, Vodafone India’s Gammat Jammat team will tour 118 rural villages in interior Maharashtra, over a period of three months.
They will engage with students from 118 schools and junior colleges and to educate them on the relevance of mobile internet.
“We see immense growth potential in Mobile Internet and are exploring options to further accelerate mobile data adoption through penetration, consumption and value addition,” said Ishmeet Singh, business head – Maharashtra & Goa, Vodafone India.
Vodafone India, which has recently reduced 2G Internet tariff, will conduct sessions with over 300 students in each school. ( Vodafone India slashes 2G Internet tariff by 80% )
Besides an audio visual film, the team will use six feet handset to showcase internet applications like managing email account, internet search engines, booking train / bus tickets online, getting information on global career options etc through the internet.
At the end of session, each student attending the session will be given a certificate attesting successful completion of the training module and a guide book on internet applications that are relevant and useful to school students.
In addition, Vodafone will host Chala Bhetuya camps at Vodafone Mini Stores across 118 villages to familiarize adults with the applications of the internet.
Vodafone also launched a special GammatJammat Pack especially for rural consumers. As per this rural package, subscribers can get 200 MB of Internet usage with 1 month validity for Rs 32, inclusive of freetalk time worth Rs 10.
The telecom industry believes that the next level of growth will come from rural markets. All India GSM operator’s — including Vodafone, Airtel, Idea Cellular, etc. — rural subscribers stand at 266.42 million as of April 2013.
