Shyam Group firm Vihaan Networks (VNL) today said its award-winning solar-powered GSM base stations will be used to provide mobile and broadband connectivity to schools and remote areas in South Asia.

The mobile networks are being built as part of a International Telecom Union-sponsored initiative ITU's Connect a school, Connect a Community  and VNL is the only Indian firm to be selected by the prestigious UN body.

ITU promotes broadband Internet connectivity for schools in developing countries across the world.

The VNL networks will provide both GSM and mobile broadband coverage to schools and villages at remote rural areas in South Asia -- and will go live during Q4, 2010.

VNL is the first and only company to have found a way of building sustainable telephone networks for the three billion people (half the world's population) living in rural areas not under mobile coverage. Of this, about 1.6 billion people do not benefit from electricity.

VNL's solar-powered WorldGSM base station has been specifically designed to enable mobile operators to reach remote rural areas where the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is as low as USD 2 a month and still make a profit.

The ITU has recognised that our equipment is unlike anything else available in the market today. It was developed for deployments just like these in rural Asia, where people have never had access to telephony,? Rajiv Mehrotra, Founder Chairman and CEO of VNL, said in a statement.

VNL's WorldGSM has been installed in more than 50 villages in rural Rajasthan, India's largest state. For the first time, these rural communities have network coverage.

Unlike traditional GSM base stations, the village sites need no shelter, air conditioning, mains power, generator or diesel. Operators in Africa and South-East Asia are also rolling out similar kinds of networks.

Claiming virtual zero opex and low capex in operating the WorldGSM, VNL has bagged several Wall Street Journal technology innovation awards, besides honours from the World Economic Forum.