Senior citizens becoming more tech-savvy

By siliconindia   |   Monday, 06 July 2009, 21:44 IST   |    2 Comments
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Senior citizens becoming more tech-savvy
Bangalore: Grandparents in the India's Silicon Valley are competing with the generation next in keeping up with the latest technologies. Increasing number of aged people in the city are becoming tech-savvy, seeking mobile and broadband connections. "Around 60 people come here for new mobile connections and another 10 for broadband every month," said Saraswati R Bhatt, Senior Telegraph Master, BSNL. Broadband is the cheaper and easier method to keep in touch with their children who are abroad, without waiting till odd hours. "At least 35 percent of our customers seeking broadband connections are senior citizens. This is a tremendous increase when compared with previous year,:" said Agrees Mohammed Anish, Senior Sales Executive, Airtel. The company suggests taking a minimum package plan of Rs 598 with 3 GB download, as chatting and e-mailing are their basic needs. Many senior citizens also use the technology for more complicated things like banking, booking e-tickets and paying bills. "Mobile is a revolution that occurred in my lifespan. I always look at it with wonder," said Salomi Joseph, 98, a Tata Indicom wireless connection user. "When my brothers used to study in England, it took them 25 days to reach there and my mother would always be worried about it. I don't have such a problem with my children who are away from home, thanks to mobiles," she said. Radio, camera and Blackberry provide additional benefits to the grannies. "I consider it a multi-purpose machine; we have a lot of concessions for senior citizens who want landline connections. But nobody avails of those nowadays. They want concessions only in mobile connections, which some have got" said Lakshminarayan, in his seventies.