Marriage of GSM and Broadcast Media

I am impressed by these guys - an Indian-Swedish start-up. Definite links here for community media in Africa.

Telecom equipment vendor VNL announced the launch of its solar-powered GSM system, which the company stated will change the telecoms market in rural areas. VNL has re-engineered GSM technology to reduce its power requirement and make it suitable for a rural environment where electricity is
scarce or unavailable. VNL stated that its WorldGSM system includes base stations that only need between 50W and 120W of power to operate (compared to 3000 W for a typical GSM base station). A WorldGSM base station is entirely powered by solar energy with a 72 hour battery back-up in place (also charged by solar power). The system also includes a rural-optimised MSC (Mobile Switching Centre), and a compact BSC (Base Station Controller), making WorldGSM a complete, end-to-end GSM network. VNL said that, with solar power, WorldGSM both reduces the operating expenses for mobile operators and contributes to a much lower environmental impact.