Our Vision

Communication towers are an essential component of a broadband network. Generally, such towers are made of steel, which poses significant economic and logistic roadblocks for rural communities located in remote areas. 

The vision of this project is to provide sustainable and low-cost technology for rural communication towers using locally available bamboo. 

This collaborative research project aims at developing a technological framework considering structural performance, material costs, environmental impact, sustainability and effective dissemination while ensuring community ownership and participation in the whole lifecycle management of a bamboo communication tower. 

Our Inspiration

Inspired by the works of Russian engineer Vladimir Shukhov and Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil, SGBTT aims to provide an affordable communication infrastructure solution to rural and remote areas. Our design enables an alternative to steel towers or masts with naturally available bamboo and local construction techniques. 

The first pilot is implemented at IIT Bombay for monitoring its structural performance.

Why Bamboo?

Bamboo is abundant in the tropical and sub-tropical/temperate regions of the world (including India) and is integral to the local cultures. It is one of the major plant species associated with the mainstay of rural life in many countries in the global South. In these rural communities, access to engineered materials such as steel and the related construction technology remains a major challenge.

India has about 125 indigenous (as well as exotic) species of bamboo belonging to 23 genera. An area of 100,300 square km, roughly 12.8% of the country's total forest area, are bamboo forests. Bamboo of various species is found in almost every state, making India the second most prosperous country in terms of bamboo genetic resources. More than 50% of bamboo species occur in Eastern India, including the North-East Region.