Abstract

The case study “RailTel: A Platform for Digital Inclusion in India” explains the journey of RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. (RailTel) from 2000-2019 to become a platform for digital inclusion in India. The case study elaborates on how RailTel pioneered the OFC-infused spread of a nation-wide broadband service through railway tracks across railway stations of well-connected Indian cities. It describes its services provided by RailTel’s arm, RailWire, for powering free Wi-Fi at railway stations. Its collaboration with Google Inc. to establish free Wi-Fi at railway stations, ‘Station Wi-Fi’, is elaborated on and also its collaboration with Google for providing internet connectivity in 113 cities of India to convert them into smart cities. The case also throws light on the challenges for RailTel and how it aimed to fulfill GoI’s objective of propagating digital literacy even in the remotest parts of India.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• The concept of digital inclusion.
• The role played by RailTel in promoting digital inclusion in India.
• The challenges faced by RailTel in spreading internet connectivity across the heavy traffic railway tracks.
• The role played by a Government PSU in GoI’s transformational agenda.
• The pros and cons of business partnerships.

Keywords

Digital Inclusion; Digital Strategy; RailTel; Indian Railways; Digital India; Entrepreneurship; RailWire; Google; Google Station Wi-Fi; Optical Fiber Cable; National Telecom Policy; Virtual Private Network; Smart Cities; Google Station; Sustainable Digital Inclusion