Empowering the Bottom of the Pyramid from the Sky

Volume 17, Number 3 Article by Shankar Venkatagiri September, 2005

Empowering the Bottom of the Pyramid from the Sky: A Case for Satellite-based Services :

Set up in the early 60s primarily to develop space sciences, astronomy and related fields, the goal of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been to attain self-reliance in the field while developing application programmes that would benefit the common man. Today ISRO is one of only six agencies world-wide that can handle the entire cycle of building, launching and controlling satellites; in addition, its programmes address primary societal needs such as telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorological services, remote sensing, education and health. In an illuminating interview, Dr. Madhavan Nair, the current Chairman of ISRO, shares with Prof Shankar Venkatagiri of IIM Bangalore his views on the vital role of satellite technology in addressing the needs of the bottom of the pyramid, and the associated management challenges.

Although services such as telecommunications, multimedia and broadband Internet have become commodities, 50% of the world's population is still without any form of communication, mainly because of the high cost and limited reach of terrestrial infrastructure. In developing countries like India, satellite applications can revolutionise access to all kinds of services. Dr. Nair explains that more than half of ISRO's budget goes towards meeting societal needs through its applications programmes. In its role of facilitator and catalyst, some of the activities it has taken on itself are: providing infrastructure, taking on pilot projects to demonstrate applications, empowering people through its Village Resource Centres, coordinating and bringing together multi-disciplinary task teams to address the needs of the bottom of the pyramid, and involving both academia and industry in these efforts.

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