Village knowledge centre toolkit
Technical solutions to connectivity problems can always be found. Conventional telephony systems are important, but often the participating community must provide the resources for the "last mile" connection to the commercial network. This can be through funds for cables or labour for digging trenches for that last mile. Modern wireless connections can prove both more efficient and cheaper than many conventional cable systems and many companies and institutions are working on advanced technologies which are surprisingly well suited to poor rural locations.
The problem of reliable electricity can be overcome in south India using solar photo-voltaic panels linked to heavy duty batteries. These provide continuity and back up during power interruptions, which can be quite frequent.