On the fast track: Project Nilgiri

At the beginning of the year, we took a look at Facebook's Free Basics, and how that initiative was panning out in India. As it happened, not very well. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a ban on Free Basics, leaving Facebook out in the cold and Mark Zuckerberg back to the drawing board.

Fast forward eight months later...

Google has had a great deal more success in India as Google Fiber and Indian Railways negotiated a partnership. This has recently come to be known as Project Nilgiri. (You were expecting something like "Goograil" or "Indian Fiber"? Dude...)

Free WiFi!

What's Project Nilgiri?

I'm going to keep it simple (and it really is that simple) and say that Google builds WiFi stations all throughout the train stations operated by Indian Railways. To date, it's covered 10 of these and looks to be building on that number by the end of this year. What this means is that passengers on the train now have access to free WiFi at staggeringly high internet speeds for about 30 minutes upon the issuance of a one-time password. The access persists after the time limit but at a reduced rate.

The target is 400 railway stations, making Project Nilgiri the largest WiFi network in India, ever.

That's not all. This is only Phase One. Phase Two involves providing WiFi to moving trains, not just train stations!

What's in it for Google?

I'd like to believe that it's purely because Google CEO Sundar Pichai  was born in India and thus would like to aid in its economic growth. But let's get real and look at the huge amount of exposure and potential deals Google is going to get from this. Already, usage has hit astonishing heights as users stream music, videos, even porn, at the railway stations. I bet this hasn't hurt Indian Railway's consumer rate either. And that's considering Google Fiber and Indian Railways are not even done yet!

There are licensing costs associated with being an ISP in India. With this partnership, Google probably will not have to be overly concerned about those costs. In short - brilliant!

Now the burning question...

Why did Google succeed where Facebook failed so spectacularly? I mean, approval from TRAI aside, the reception to the Project Nilgiri seems to have garnered much less controversy and way less resistance. I have some theories about this...

Nationality

It could all just boil down to skin color. Sundar Pichai is India-born. Mark Zuckerberg comes across as the white boy trying to muscle in on India territory. Personally, I think kind of mentality is so last century, but I won't discount the possibility.

Keeping it simple

Project Nilgiri is presented as a value-add rather than a product in itself. Take the train and you get free high speed WiFi. No fuss, no caveats, no conditions. Free Basics, on the other hand, makes someone jumps through a whole lot of hoops and then subjects them to restrictions. Buy a SIM card, register an account and only certain sites are free for access, yadda yadda.

No Preaching

Facebook makes an awfully big song and dance about eliminating poverty and bringing Internet access to the impoverished masses. That's a big dream, a noble dream. Always good to aim high. And no, I don't doubt Zuckerberg's sincerity. But yes, fairly or not, the whole thing does smack of condescension. And people react negatively to that.

Google has kept their aims manageable. Give train passengers free WiFi. That's all there is to it. No grand marketing campaign to sell the nobility of the enterprise, no epic scope, at least not on a moral level. Far more achievable, and something people can get behind.

The epic irony is, Google may have done more towards lifting India out of third-world status without actually even (apparently) meaning to.

Conclusion

Whatever the case is, Project Nilgiri appears to be going places. It'll be exciting to see how this impacts India as a whole eventually.

Is that railly cool, or what?!
T___T