Canadian phone maker Datawind which has supplied about 1,00,000 low-cost Aakash tablets to the government till date says that it would be a challenge to supply the device at Rs 2,500 a unit due to rupee volatility and other factors.
"We will be able to bid for Aakash 4 at a price below Rs 2,500 a unit.
However, it is a challenge to maintain it at that level.
“We have seen fluctuation of about 20 per cent in the value of rupee and the uncertainty remains," Datawind chief executive officer Suneet Singh Tuli told PTI.
The Aakash project was Union minister Kapil Sibal's brainchild when he was the HRD Minister.
The idea was to provide low-cost computing device at subsidised rate to students to enable them access internet for educational purposes.
The Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals has floated a tender for the latest Aakash tablet with technical specifications of 7-inch scratch resistant capacitative touch screen, Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity, 4GB internal storage, external memory card slot with storage capacity of up to 32 GB, front camera etc.
However, the number of units to be supplied has not been mentioned in the tender. The last date for submission of bids has again been deferred till January 28.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal had said that the government wanted a price of around Rs 2,500 for the latest device.
Besides Datawind, domestic handset maker Simmtronics and other vendors,
Tablet sales: Aakash BEATS Apple in India
After Aakash, DataWind launches low cost phablets at Rs 3,999
Australian Open: Serena 'not disappointed' after loss due to bad back
24 years on, nothing has changed for the exiled Kashmiri Pandits
Australian Open PHOTOS: Ivanovic upsets Serena; Djokovic Ferrer march into quarters