Balloon internet

At the beginning of this year, Google launched what it calls "the largest public Wi-Fi project in the world", with the aim of setting up free Wi-Fi networks at 400 train stations in India. Five months later, over 1.5 million Indians are already using its services at 19 train stations across the country. SEE ALSO: Google launches free Wi-Fi service in India with Mumbai Central Station For its first phase this year, Google is working on getting 100 of India's busiest train stations online, in partnership Railtel, the telecom department of the Indian railways. Reaching the mark of 1.5 million users is in keeping with Google's larger aim of reaching 10 million Indians at 100 train stations. "A majority of India continues to access the Internet on a narrow band network, limiting their experience of Internet to basic activities," Google India said in a statement . "Easy and affordable access to full fidelity broadband network continues to be a challenge in India and is … [Read more...] about 1.5 million people access the Internet via Google’s free Wi-Fi at 19 Indian railway stations

It is June 22, 2014. Jackson Palmer, a self-identified "average geek," is high in the stands at a Nascar race at the Sonoma Raceway in California. He is an Australian man in his 20s. He has zero interest in racing. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would come to this.He surveys the scene. Below him: a tremendous crowd. The overwhelming blare of engines. Hurtling round at tremendous speeds: the #98 Moonrocket, a high-performance racing car. No different from the other cars on the track, except for one crucial detail.On the bonnet of the car: a dog. A Shiba Inu, more commonly known as a "Shibe," the dog made famous in the Doge meme that was popular in 2013. Emblazoned on top: the word "DOGECOIN" in all caps. Below: "digital currency".Palmer describes the situation using words like "crazy," "surreal" and "nuts." He remembers this moment as a "reality check." Dogecoin was a tweet, then it was a cryptocurrency worth money in the real world. Six months later, he watched as a joke … [Read more...] about Dogecoin: The meme that somehow became a real cryptocurrency

BENGALURU: After selling the promise of the Indian Internet over the past 24 months and raising record amount of capital, entrepreneurs and investors are getting ready for a reality check in 2016. Experts believe that although exciting new startups will continue to be created, and investors will remain eager to invest in early-stage rounds, it will be at a much tougher climb compared with 2015 when some were looking to close deals over a Skype call. "Over the past two years some crazy amount of funding has come in, so we should expect a lot more sanity in 2016," said TCM Sundaram, co-founder of IDG Ventures India, which has backed online retailers including Myntra, Firstcry and Lenskart. "It has already started, and will get even more stringent." Total funding for Indian venture capital-backed companies topped $12 billion (Rs 80,000 crore) across more than 1,220 deals in the past two years, with $7.3 billion invested in over 880 deals in 2015 alone, according to startup data … [Read more...] about 2016 the year of reality check for Indian startups?