The Last Mile Initiative (2006-2008), a USAID partnership with Qualcomm, Dialog Telecom, and the National Development Bank of Sri Lanka, and implemented by Synergy Strategies Group (SSG) Advisors, used an innovative franchise approach - franchise in a box (telecenter-in-a-box) - to create a profitable and sustainable business model for extending ICT services and connectivity to rural consumers. The franchise approach, coined Easy Seva, removed barriers to entry, such as high connectivity costs, by aggregating demand and providing customers with wireless Internet access, personal computer usage, and broadband telephone services. Some centers also offered online training opportunities and banking services. SSG opened 55 telecenters (more than double the number expected) across rural Sri Lanka, serving an estimated 10,000 users, while Dialog Telecom added 100 new locations and additional services.