Google turns 18, unveils products made for India

Google turned 18 on Tuesday and hosted a big party in India to unveil a bouquet of products designed for the world's second largest Internet market. The focus of the products announced on Tuesday - a new Wi-Fi platform called Google Station and a video app 'YouTube Go' - is to tap into the burgeoning Internet market in India, where users are primarily coming online through smartphones.

Google Vice President (Next Billion Users) Caesar Sengupta said three new Internet users are getting added every second in India, which presents a huge opportunity. He added that the company is focussing on three key areas -- access, products and platforms - to provide a better and "more inclusive online experience" for users in India. "So, we have been thinking about how to build products and services for this wave of new users - products that work for any level of connectivity, in local Indian languages, and across the devices that are most frequently used in India," he added.

Following its partnership with RailTel and Indian Railways to provide Wi-Fi at railway stations, Google has now launched a platform called Google Station.

The new platform will work with partners like system integrators (SIs) and venue owners to roll out WiFi hotspots, Sengupta said. He added that this will provide more people in India and around the world fast, reliable, and secure Wi-Fi in places like malls, transit stations and cafes.

With RailTel, Google connects about 3.5 million users to the Internet with people using about 20 times the average monthly data use of 600 megabytes at these railway stations.