Rural regions in India could soon have improved high-speed internet delivered over the last mile without wires, if a Microsoft program that taps unused wireless spectrum to provide free internet to rural regions receives government clearance.

The chairman of Microsoft India, Bhaskar Pramanik, said over the weekend that Microsoft has sought clearance for a pilot program in two districts for its white space initiative, according to the Hindustan Times. White space technology has previously been deployed in South Africa, Ghana, and the UK, although to this point white space broadband hasn’t been deployed at a commercially meaningful scale.

Microsoft’s tech uses the unused buffer frequencies — “white spaces” — between TV channels to carry data. In India, these spaces end up being available in the 200-300 MHz spectrum band, although there are chunks of unused spectrum available in India up to 700 MHz. Currently, that spectrum belongs to a national broadcaster in India, Dorrdarshan. White space signals can travel…