n-Logue Village Internet Kiosks - India

Village kiosks are set up by an LSP, who invests money to buy equipment and who, in turn, provides services to the people of the village. A typical kiosk offers both telephone and Internet services to the local community: it is equipped with a PC, a power supply, an Internet/Voice connection, a suite of packaged software in the local language, and a telephone.

n-Logue supports this enterprise in various ways. First, it helps find partnering institutions and organisations - largely in the local area - that can provide such services. Second, n-Logue provides both the franchisee and the kiosk owner (who is often a young person) with the necessary training, marketing support, and opportunities to build their enterprises. n-Logue also helps both of these entrepreneurs obtain the necessary loans to get started, mostly by drawing on existing government self-employment opportunities. Finally, n-Logue posts classified ads created by kiosk owners on the local website.

In determining which services to provide in a particular community, n-Logue works with the franchisee and kiosk owner to identify and meet villagers' needs (typically, employment, health, education, and social needs).

To cite one specific example, the kiosk at Melur (Madurai District, Tamil Nadu) started with e-government services and has expanded to offer health information, agricultural consultation, means of booking bus and train tickets, and offline services like computer education. The villagers pay for every kiosk service they use, at rates that are lower than those in urban areas. This centre was recently connected to the Madurai Agricultural College and Research Centre (under the TamilNadu Agricultural University). Villagers can now email their agricultural queries to the College and receive an electronic answer. Ulagapichanpatti village, for example, sent a query regarding a problem with lady's finger (bhendi), the main crop of the village lost due to disease in 2001. In response to emails and photographs sent on behalf of farmers who visited the kiosk, the College appointed two horticulture assistant professors to answer queries. A live net meeting was conducted between Ulagapichanpatti and the experts at the College; the brinjal disease in the specimens was immediately identified through the webcam.

Economic Development, Technology.

The kiosks that have been in existence for more than four months are making profits, while newer kiosks are starting to meet their operating costs.