Canadian Original: Connecting the Masses

How Canadian ingenuity could revolutionize the Internet in India

When India's government challenged the world's innovators in 2010 to create an affordable device to connect its students to the Internet most technology developers scoffed at the idea. A $35 tablet in the age of the iPad?

Suneet Singh Tuli was so skeptical he wrote a newspaper editorial declaring it "impossible". At the time his Montreal-based company DataWind was making a low-priced "netbook" that still had core costs of $80. He wondered: Is there any way to cut that in half?

"My gut reaction was it can't be done," he said during an interview in New Delhi. "Time changed stuff."

It ultimately led to the creation of Aakash (which means 'sky' in Hindi), a low-cost tablet with a touch screen and two USB ports that was unveiled in October and has the potential to revolutionize the Internet.

In one of the most populous places on the planet that is no small thing. The Indian government has placed an initial order of one million for schools. The device's real potential will be measured when it hits the retail market at a cost slightly higher -- about $60 -- than the $35 price tag for students.

"There are 18 million Internet subscribers in India and 120 million users," explained Mr. Tuli, "The difference between (them) is affordability and that's a gap that needs to be addressed."

In effect, DataWind is targeting the other billion people here in a bid to transform Internet connectivity the way mobile phones changed communication in the developing world. Since India introduced Aakash other governments are apparently eager to bring a $35 tablet to Internet-enable their countries.

"There are some who say it's not as cool and fun and as sexy as an iPad which is fine," he conceded, "But you get 15 of them for the same price… and it still gives you a fantastic web experience."

Graduate students at TERI University in South Delhi are among those 'field testing' Aakash and the reviews so far are favourable. They like the HD video and access to 100,000 android applications. What impresses them most is that the Canadian-designed device is being manufactured in India.

Suneet Singh Tuli said domestic production is key and he knows enough about the market. Born in India but raised in Alberta, he co-founded DataWind with his brother Raja. Over time the company built a business and a reputation around the design and manufacturing of low-cost computing. But Tuli admits they likely could not have invented Aakash in India, where societal pressure is less accepting of setbacks.

"In Canada, in Silicon Valley, in places where research and development gets done, an entrepreneur who has failed three times is considered an entrepreneur and not a failure," he said, "It's a testimonial to Canadian culture."

Tuli hopes there will be cheaper devices in the future, even a price war to connect the world. Does he want to be remembered as 'the $35 tablet guy'?

He smiled. "I want to be known as somebody who helped make Internet access free. I think at the end of the day that will be more powerful than the cost of the device."

on Twitter: @janisctv