India is one of the fastest growing tech markets in the world today. Google, the world’s biggest tech company, prepares to better serve India’s population. Google India has already reduced high-speed data. Google’s VP of Chrome,?Rahul Ro-Chowdhury, wants to do so much more. Google India shows off expansion.
Ro-Chowdhury wants to conserve data by offering apps and features, particularly on Chrome for Android users. Such features and apps include offline Google maps and You Tube Go. You Tube Go gives users better control of video downloads. It requires very little data, Google India’s long term goal. You Tube Go helps India’s ?make the Internet more accessible. Recently, Google offered free WiFi in train stations. It’s working. Over 1.5 million people used it in 19 train stations. As of now, Google has free WiFi in 33 train stations. This program is called Google Station. They hope to expand free WiFi to other public facilities: cafes, restaurants, malls, football (soccer) stadiums.
The expansion addresses the language barrier. In India, 12 of Google Translate’s supported languages are Indic. But Google’s AI language translation can only communicate in English. While English is an important language in India, less than 20% of the population can speak it or understand it. Furthermore, there are 22 official languages in India. The most spoken on these is Hindi. But by the end of 2016, Hindi support will be available.
Why am I talking about India? It’s the second highest populated country in the world. It’s becoming a technical powerhouse. If the global tech world is going to get stronger, they need India. Some say in the next couple of decades, India will surpass China in population growth. No wonder why they want to conserve high-speed data. If too many people use high-speed data in a nation this densely populated, the Web will probably shut down. Free WiFi in India is highly needed. Many in India still struggle financially. This service would ease a lot of burden. Do you think India’s expansion is even worth Americans’ time?