Qualcomm as other vendors in the telecom space is gradually increasing its pitch in the services domain as well. The firm has forged tie-ups with Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP) and United Villages Networks (P) Ltd. (United Villages) to jointly develop a BREW-based mobile application, vBay for the rural agri-entrepreneurs.

A pilot project to this effect is being conducted in villages of Orissa and Rajasthan. Qualcomm says the project aims to provide rural communities, under privileged and marginalized farmers the ability to post and browse products and services as well as improve productivity by providing daily commodity price updates.

“ISAP looks forward to working with Qualcomm and United Villages on this Wireless Reach project that promises to empower rural entrepreneurs and encourages inclusive development – a necessary mandate for ISAP,” says Rajeev Dar, CEO of ISAP

“United Villages is enthusiastic about working with Qualcomm and ISAP to develop and deploy rural India’s first mobile-enabled classifieds,” says Amir Alexander Hasson, United Villages’ founder and CEO.  “vBay will empower rural entrepreneurs to broaden their villages’ access to markets, thereby increasing the affordability, accessibility and variety of products available to rural communities using BREW technology.”

“Qualcomm believes that access to advanced wireless data services can significantly enhance people’s lives.  We are pleased to collaborate with ISAP and United Villages on this Wireless Reach project to empower rural entrepreneurs in Rajasthan and Orissa,” says Kanwalinder Singh, senior vice-president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia.  “This versatile and mobile solution delivers next generation services to consumers, rural and urban, and offers a compelling business opportunity for rural entrepreneurs.”

Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach initiative will support the purchase of the CDMA handsets and support ISAP’s engagement with United Villages to develop, deploy, operate and market vBay. 

ISAP will train the entrepreneurs on how to leverage from the services and also on how to make use of the market linkages for the products and services listed in the vBay database.