Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will meet Microsoft chief Satya Nadella on Thursday to discuss the company's plan to provide broadband connectivity in villages, sources said.
The Redmond-based company has invited Prasad to 'Microsoft's Future Unleashed' event in Mumbai on Wednesday where the Minister is likely to give his address and then will have a meeting with Nadella, the sources said. The key point of discussion is likely to revolve around Microsoft's plan to provide low-cost broadband connectivity using the white spaces, a technology that utilises unused television spectrum to deliver low-cost Internet connectivity, sources added.
As per an official in the Communications Ministry, wi-fi has a range of about 100 meters, whereas the 200-300 MHz spectrum band available in the white space can reach up to 10 km.