Google launches Internet Bus in Tamil Nadu

Google India has launched an Internet Bus, a mobile bus designed to provide an Internet experience to people across the cities of Tamil Nadu, a south Indian state. Through this campaign Google is aiming to reach out to people with limited knowledge and exposure to the Internet. The bus will cover 15 towns over a period of one and a half months.

With a focus on four themes, information, communication, entertainment and education, the 'Internet Bus' will have useful and informative content in English and Tamil to give the users an understanding of how the Internet can be used for all of these needs.

Image credits: Madhukiran / Google Internet Bus

In addition to basic familiarization on using services like search, email, social networking, online maps and others, the bus will showcase how the Internet can make everyday life simple.

"We are passionate about empowering users with information and the Internet democratizes access to information. With this initiative we want to take the power of this medium to people who will really benefit from it. We believe that if we can get people to experience the Internet even briefly they will find the means to go back again," said Dr. Prasad Ram, head of Google R&D, India.

"India needs more of such efforts. It is the collective responsibility of the government, the industry and academia to solve the challenges around access, costs and content. Once this is done, the possibilities of use are limitless," added Dr. Ram.

The Internet Bus will also address the challenge around access and language for a lot of users in smaller cities by educating them on how they can access the Internet on their mobiles and use various Google tools to break the language barrier.