The IBM - IT major is running a pilot project in south India which will provide information, similar to the information available over the internet, through a toll-free phone number.

The services included healthcare , learning & micro-finance. “This is a project to reach the bottom billion or the bottom of the pyramid,” IBM Services Research senior VP Robert Morris said. “An Indian village is a manageable data set and the Indian mobile market is the most innovative that we have seen anywhere. We would look at how this works and then probably take it to other markets like the US. There are many people who may not go to the Web to find out about some services but won’t mind calling up for the same,” Dr Morris said.

The IBM pilot is part of the Spoken Web project being led by its India Research Lab.

Categories: Business, IT sector
Tags: ibm, Pilot Project