Educomp inks JV with Zeebo,Lakshya

Educomp Solutions said it has formed a JV with US-based Zeebo and Lakshya Digital.

Education solutions firm Educomp Solutions today said it has formed a joint venture with US-based Zeebo and Lakshya Digital to sell devices with educational content in India.

“Zeebo India,the joint venture firm,will work towards tailoring Zeebo’s technology and developing content for school children in India,” Educomp Solutions CEO Shantanu Prakash told reporters here.

The partners will make an initial investment of USD 4 million towards the JV firm,he added.

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The devices,when connected to television,will offer educational content to school-goers and would work using 3G services. The devices would be available in India in the later half of the year,priced below Rs 5,000.

Apart from partnering with schools for selling the devices,the JV firm will also tie-up with telecom operators and retailers for pushing the devices in the market,Zeebo President and CEO John Rizzo said.

Zeebo is already selling these devices in Mexico and Brazil and has formed a unit,Zeebo China to introduce it in the Chinese market.

Asked about the sales targets,the JV firm declined to comment.

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“School children want fun-filled content so that learning doesn’t become a task. We would introduce content that would make learning a fun activity,” Prakash said.

The JV firm is still working on the subscription model for making available content for people buying the devices.

Users would be able to buy and download new games and applications from its applications store.

Shares of Educomp closed at Rs 499 a piece,up 2.33 per cent from the previous close on the Bombay Stock Exchange.