Searching for signal

It takes a stiff uphill haul and a river crossing to get to "the spot", some 8km off Chango village in the border district of Kinnaur. But the smartphone owners of Chango -and visiting tourists -have no option but do the trek whenever they need to use the internet.
"We can use internet at certain spots during summer season, but that too only during good weather. In winter, life anyway comes to a standstill," says Chhering Dorjey , a resident of Chango.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke this week of the need to connect the millions of Indians who remain offline. What he probably does not know is that Indians in no-internet zones are using their singular skills of jugaad to make sure that they stay wired.

Take Punjab for example, a state where only 5.4% households are connected as per the 2011 census. There are many dark spots where no internet service provider has ever reached. But despite this, the number of social media users has gone up phenomenally in recent years. " As per latest estimates, there are over 35 lakh Facebook users in Punjab, and the number is only growing," said Himanshu Pathak, head of the state's Aam Aadmi Party's social media cell.

The internet is also out of reach for many Himachalis because of its tough terrain. Telecom companies are reluctant to set up facilities because of cost factors especially in regions like upper Kinnaur and Lahaul.GPRS connectivity is available at select places but the speeds are woefully low.

So how do internet users in Punjab and Himachal manage to stay connected despite the abysmal penetration? The answer lies in some out-of-the box strategizing. From climbing hills to swimming rivers and walking miles, youngsters in isolated pockets of states like Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are making sure that they grab signals wherever they can.

Water connection

The belt along the Indo-Pak border is the biggest black spot in the state and even mobile connections are missing here. In the border villages of Mozam and Salem Shah, youngsters have to sometimes cross a swollen Sutlej by boat to find a signal.

"This is now a part of our everyday life," said Vikas Kamboj, a student from Mozam. Chango, in upper Kinnaur, on the other hand is a prosperous village that draws many tourists from all parts of India. But the lack of mobile and internet connectivity means crossing the temperamental Spiti river. "People have identified spots where they can catch the signal, but this too depends on weather," says Shanta Kumar Negi, a local tour operator.

Plotting the web
Youngsters in Jalalabad, along the Indo-Pak border, have done detailed mapping of the area to identify spots where mobile and internet signals are strong. Navjeet Singh, principal of the government school, says he has been trying to get a Wi-Fi connection for his school without any success. "The only way out is to use internet on the phone and that too at the right spot. A little movement and you lose the net," he said.

Residents of many Spiti villages are starved for connectivity . Subodh Kumar, an activist from Lari village, says he has to travel around 22 km to reach Sumdo, near the India-China border to access the internet. He runs a campaign against a local power project and staying in touch with supporters across the country is critical for him. And at the world's highest polling station, Hikkam, in Spiti valley, residents have to walk 2-3 km scouting for signals.

The mobile manoeuvre

The time-tested method of using a phone internet connection on desktop or laptop is popular in many parts of Punjab. "There is internet connectivity in urban areas but the service is still not satisfactory," says Chander Kumar, in-charge of BJP's social media cell in Pathankot.