The CNR slot, or Communication and Networking Riser slot, is a hardware component found on motherboards that was primarily developed by Intel to provide a standardized interface for communication and networking peripherals. In the Indian local market, motherboards with CNR slots were quite popular during the early 2000s, especially in budget and entry-level systems.
Many Indian computer manufacturers and assemblers incorporated motherboards with CNR slots to offer cost-effective solutions for home and small office users. These slots allowed for the addition of modems, network interface cards, and audio components without requiring separate expansion cards, making them particularly suitable for the price-sensitive Indian market.
Local Indian brands like HCL, Wipro, and Zenith, as well as numerous regional assemblers, frequently used motherboards featuring CNR slots in their desktop computers. This helped reduce the overall system cost while maintaining basic communication capabilities that were essential for the growing internet adoption in India during that period.
Although CNR technology has been largely superseded by more modern interfaces, many older computers in Indian homes, educational institutions, and small businesses still contain motherboards with these slots. The legacy of CNR slots in the Indian computing landscape represents an important phase in making technology more accessible and affordable for the masses. |
