Media Lab Asia has been formed by the Department of IT (Government of India). It is a non profit organization that conducts research and development (R&D) in technology and provides appropriate solutions for the betterment of people.

It started with the functional activity areas such as World Computer (Affordable, ubiquitous computing & access devices), Bits for All (Low Cost, High bandwidth connectivity) and Tomorrow's Tool (Rurally relevant applications). However it was later changed to application areas such as ICT for- Healthcare , Education , livelihood , Empowerment of Disabled , and Wireless Connectivity .

Since then the company has taken up 75 development projects and some of the projects are now being rolled out at the national level. The company has a unique way of growth by working with an expanding network of research laboratories for undertaking development work. It started with creating a hub at some of the IITs and the list of such project partners has grown to more than 40. The partners are a combination of academic and R&D institutions, industry, NGOs and Govt. Agencies. The projects can be sponsored by Corporate Bodies, Govt. (Central/State) and Local Municipal Bodies/Panchayats etc.

After development the technology is taken from lab to land for pilot testing/ large scale deployment through a unique scheme of provider/user membership under PPP model. MLAsia is poised for developing relevant & sustainable technologies and culturally appropriate solutions touching daily lives of common people in years to come.