Intel India and Microsoft Corporation India forged an "affordability alliance" aimed at bridging the digital divide in India by offering low cost personal computers in the market.
The two companies announced a joint affordability initiative under which they will innovate to create affordable computing solutions and will ensure easy and wider availability of affordable PCs across the country by driving synergies in sale and marketing, according to a press release here.
The two companies will work with banking institutions to create innovative financing options with the intent to simplify the entire financing process, the release said.
Four specific customer segments have been identified initially for providing "holistic solutions and to facilitate easier access for consumers", the release said.
These include employees of large corporations, the education community, government employees and shared access providers, namely internet cafes, it added.
John McClure, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing, Intel (South Asia) was quoted as saying in the release, "Intel and Microsoft being key drivers of the industry are coming together to drive government's agenda to take the PC installed based to 13 million by 2010."