Govtech

3i Infotech unveils NuRe Bharat Network for free WiFi monetizing project awarded by RailTel

3i Infotech Limited (BSE532628NSE3IINFOTECH), a global Information Technology company unveiled the consortium entity NuRe Bharat Network, in a partnership with RailTel Corporation of India’s WiFi monetization project as the lead consortium partner. The other members of the consortium are Forensics Intelligence Surveillance and Security Technologies Private Limited (FISST) and Yellow Integrated Content & Communication LLP (Yellow Inc).

NuRe Bharat Network aims to connect all urban, semi-urban, and rural regions, further connecting India and Bharat to the digital medium by offering free captive WiFi solutions across the Indian Railway network. NuRe Bharat Network will completely change the dynamics of reaching through to the world’s second-largest digital consumer in a simplified manner.

Read more: Repo rate remains at 6.5% ‘a hawkish pause’ implying ‘India’s real policy rate will hover around 1% during 2023-24’

The launch comes at the back of a recent announcement made by the company for bagging a 5-year WiFi monetization deal from RailTel, with Rs 1000 crore revenue potential. At the virtual launch, 3i Infotech also revealed the interface and functioning of the captive portal and mobile app that will help the advertisers leverage their services to connect with the 1.8 million users per day across 6,108+ railway networks in the country by providing free WiFi service to the users.

The captive portal and application will open the space for advertisers to connect with the growing India, primarily rural Bharat demographics, thereby utilizing a huge untapped opportunity

Sax Krishna, Head of NuRe Bharat Network

Speaking on the momentous occasion, Sax Krishna, Head of NuRe Bharat Network said, “We are excited to be a part of such an impactful partnership with RailTel as it gives us a platform to service India & Bharat through the means of providing socially applicable and commercially viable products and services. The captive portal and application will open the space for advertisers to connect with the growing India, primarily rural Bharat demographics, thereby utilizing a huge untapped opportunity.”

“The partnership model will also be a major proof point for us to exhibit and demonstrate our capabilities across the Edge ecosystem including Edge Space, Computing and Analytics through the combination and convergence of edge with the WiFi network, we will be able to deploy our fundamental design with the engines of growth in a much better way that we have put together in the form of a company,” he further added.

At the launch of NuRe Bharat Network, Manoj Tandon, Director of Project, Operations and Maintenance, RailTel Corporation of India Limited (RCIL) shared his happiness and wished all success to the new Joint Venture formed for the WiFi monetisation project.

We want to go beyond the captive portal and hence, we will soon be launching the mobile app, which will provide beyond `Free Internet’. It will also allow the advertisers to provide travel, infotainment, education, and e-commerce-based services

Ramu Bodathula, Head of Technology, NuRe Bharat Network

Ramu Bodathula, Head of Technology, NuRe Bharat Network presented the technology stack walk-through of the application and expressed, “We want to go beyond the captive portal and hence, we will soon be launching the mobile app, which will provide beyond `Free Internet’. It will also allow the advertisers to provide travel, infotainment, education, and e-commerce-based services.”

Read more: UPI is free, fast, secure & seamless, says NPCI

The WiFi captive portal will allow a user to access free WiFi for the first thirty minutes at railway stations across India, after which, the user may or may not extend the free service by watching advertisements. Then, the portal will switch to the paid medium. To access free WiFi, users need to connect to the WiFi network and provide login credentials. This platform will be available in multiple Indian languages apart from English.

The platform will unlock opportunities for advertisers to reach out to the digital consumer via smart advertising solutions and data insights. Thus, the NuRe Bharat Network will be a pivotal contributor in the digital and e-commerce sector, poised to cross US$350 billion by 2030 and become a key advertising platform for larger national brands, upcoming MSMEs and local businesses.

Navanwita Bora Sachdev

Navanwita is the editor of The Tech Panda who also frequently publishes stories in news outlets such as The Indian Express, Entrepreneur India, and The Business Standard

Recent Posts

AI robocalls defraud, branded calling saves even as AI pushes AML Spend 

It’s no secret that cyber criminals are upping their game with the help of Artificial…

2 days ago

Communications platform Prezent closes 2024 with strategic appointment of three new executives 

This week Prezent, the AI-powered business communication and presentation productivity platform, announced the names of…

3 days ago

Breaches galore as cybersecurity threat actors keep upping their game

Data breaches are becoming a different level as cybersecurity threat actors keep upping their game,…

3 days ago

Big tech’s AI ambitions: Meta & Google woo Indian consumers with GenAI

In the bustling landscape of India’s tech-savvy population, big tech giants like Meta and Google…

4 days ago

New tech on the block: Crypto, blockchain, project management software, AI, cars, metaverse, health tech, fintech, gaming, cybersecurity

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent tech launches. Crypto: A feature offering a…

5 days ago

India attracts businesses from Canada & Ireland while expanding to Dubai, MEA, Sweden & Malaysia

The Tech Panda takes a look at how India has been attracting foreign businesses from…

5 days ago