Nairobi, Kenya
It truly is a small world, thanks to people like alumnus Ankit Rohatgi, who brings communication to isolated corners of the globe. The 36-year-old native of India uses two UT Arlington master’s degrees—electrical engineering ’01 and business administration ’05—as a senior solutions architect for Ericsson, the Dallas-based telecommunications equipment giant. He creates cellphone satellite connections in remote areas such as small villages or large ships. “I have training in Jakarta, a trade show in Singapore, sales in Mongolia, sales support in Gabon—a lot of different things.”
Among the 37 countries Rohatgi has visited is Kenya, where he fed giraffes at a sanctuary near Nairobi. In April he installed a satellite connection on one of the largest freighters in the world. Now the sailors can talk to their families while at sea instead of waiting for a quick call from a port. A satellite cell tower on a Ugandan hilltop brings coverage to many poor villages. “The cellphone will be the only electronic appliance in the home. One person takes the phones to the nearest town where a man charges them,” Rohatgi says. “It is amazing how this is changing the world.”
