Biofuels

Case Study: IDEA India

Local operator IDEA Cellular, Ericsson and the GSMA's Development Fund have teamed up to develop biofuels as a power source for wireless networks in rural India. In a pilot project, biofuels will be used to power mobile base stations located in Pune, Maharastra, where grid electricity is highly unreliable. The first phase of the project, which is testing the feasibility of non-edible plant-based fuels, such as cotton and jatropha, is nearing completion. The second phase of the project will entail setting up a supply chain using locally grown crops to produce biodiesel to power between five and 10 base stations by mid 2007 in the Maharashtra region and 20 - 40 sites by project completion. The goal is to have these base stations powered by cotton or jatropha by mid 2007. The Indian government is encouraging companies in India to adopt biofuels and potentially could become a leading exponent of this alternative power source.

Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA, says "The early adoption of biofuels will give IDEA a pioneering role in the development of cost effective and environmentally sustainable mobile networks to serve rural communities. We look forward to sharing the expertise and knowledge gained from this project with other mobile Operators around the world."

Mats Granryd, Managing Director, Ericsson India, says "As GSM operators expand their network coverage into new areas, one of the biggest challenges is to overcome operational issues associated with the lack of basic infrastructure. Through this initiative, we are also involving local communities in the wireless revolution and taking the benefits of technology to the masses."

"Almost three-quarters of India's population lives in rural areas that often lack a reliable power supply. Biofuels will help us further extend mobile coverage into these areas bringing major economic and social benefits to rural communities."

Sanjeev Aga
Managing Director
IDEA Cellular