India Needs 220M Low Cost Tablets; Govt May Invite Bids From Companies Other Than Datawind

For Datawind Ltd, the maker of world's cheapest tablet PC Aakash, the order by India's Ministry of Human Resources for one lakh tablets, is only a teaser. The ministry will require no less than 220 million additional units for distributing them to students at subsidised prices.

A ministry official told an Indian wire agency that fresh tendering processes will be initiated to manufacture such large units of the tablets and interestingly, the government may consider other companies as well, besides Aakash maker Datawind.

NK Sinha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource, told Press Trust of India (via IBNLive.com): "To manufacture Aakash (or such tablets) in such large numbers, fresh tenders will be released again and other companies along with Datawind will also get a chance.

"The preparation for tendering process is currently on, the report added.Aakash is a 7-inch touch screen tablet, which has a 366 MHz processor and 256 MB RAM running under the Android 2.2 operating system. The government has ordered for 100,000 units which will be available to students at a subsidised price of Rs 1,100 as against the rack price of Rs 2,500.

Besides India, educational institutions from countries such as Thailand, Turkey, among others have also showed interest in the device.

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