Securing internet for hundreds of thousands in India
A massive job needs the accuracy of the Nautiz X6 rugged handheld
Challenge
Remote, off-the-grid project, required installation of internet fiber cables throughout the rural Indian state of Telangana.
Solution
Handheld’s Nautiz X6 rugged handheld measures, collects and relays the geospatial data needed to lay an end-to-end fiber network.
Result
Hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and organizations connected to the internet throughout Telangana.
In India, rugged handhelds simplify data collection on a massive land surveying project.
When land surveyors and engineers in India needed technology for a massive job requiring a tremendous number of measurements and close attention to detail — far from internet services — they chose Handheld’s Nautiz X6 ultra-rugged Android phablet, a rugged handheld computer with a large screen and durability to survive harsh conditions. The Telangana Fiber Grid Project or T-Fiber Project is a flagship program by the state government of Telangana to provide high-speed internet across the state. The T-Fiber Project aims to connect every household, government institution and private enterprise across the rural part of the state through optical fiber and provide them with high-speed internet connectivity. The Nautiz X6 rugged handheld was a perfect fit for their complex project.
For this massive job, the government turned to Future Media, a leading geospatial and rugged instrumentation dealer, and Larsen & Toubro Construction (L&T), one of India’s largest construction companies, which is ranked among the world’s top 30 contractors.
Scope for the work-anywhere rugged handheld
The T-Fiber Project is charged with providing connectivity to over 4,700,000 households and 100,000 public and private enterprises, offices and institutions in Telangana. The end-to-end fiber network will be deployed across 10 zones (31 districts), 584 mandals (blocks), 8778 gram panchayats (village governing institutes), and 10,128 villages.
Rugged Android handheld for the job
To accomplish the measurements needed for this huge endeavor, Future Media and L&T are relying on the Nautiz X6 rugged handheld, slim and lightweight enough to be carried in the hand for data collection. The Nautiz X6 is ideal for use in the field and undaunted by the hot and dusty working conditions of southern India. The device combines the large-screen functionality of a tablet with the work-anywhere ruggedness of a handheld. The 6-inch touchscreen display is sunlight-readable and protected by super-hardened Gorilla Glass.
Impressive accuracy and communication
For its ultimate success, the T-Fiber Project relies on accurate groundwork from the very beginning. It’s imperative that precise measurements are captured onsite and that they are replicable. The Nautiz X6 data collector, compatible with inhouse software developed by L&T for the purpose, enables communication with Leica’s DISTO X4, a measuring device. The software captures positions and the linear distance measurements made on the DISTO meter; the Nautiz X6 rugged handheld and DISTO X4 are connected over BT, and all the data is captured on an electronic form and saved.
The rugged handhelds are being used on site by land surveyors and engineers for data collection, location marking, taking coordinates, noting the latitude, longitude and elevation of a point for installing the fiber cables. With the help of the camera on the Nautiz X6, the images of the points where the cables are installed are clicked, and then the location of the points/routes after the installation are checked on Google Earth. The Nautiz X6 resolves a potential future dilemma of being able to find the accurate location of the fiber cables in trenches dug years before.
Why the Nautiz X6 rugged handheld?
This choice was a quantum leap from the previous tools used, which included pen and paper, mobile phones and measuring tapes. But there were competing devices available, and L&T took time to consider and compare Handheld Nautiz X6 with the other available options.
According to Syeda Samreen, Business Manager at Future Media, a few reasons they opted for the Nautiz X6 were due its positional accuracy and its extreme ruggedness, along with its competitive pricing. “We especially appreciate the Nautiz X6’s high accuracy positional chipset with SBAS and BT, and the ability of its camera to capture detailed images,” she added.
Making Connections
The Nautiz X6 was built ultra-rugged and powerful to handle big jobs — even one as massive as Telangana’s Fiber Grid Project. From connecting surveyors and engineers in the field today with those who will need their measurements in the future, to linking hundreds of thousands of households, businesses and organizations to the internet, Handheld’s Nautiz X6 gets the job done.