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WiFi Lifeline For Nepal's Farmers
bahree writes "BBC is running a pretty interesting story on how yak farmers in the mountains of Nepal, where there are no phones or other means of communication, are using wireless Internet technology to keep in touch with their families, buy/sell livestock and exchange vetinerary tips."
First India, and now Nepal....makes us Americans feel we are in the stone age.
how do these people get their electricity?
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;-)
That could have had something to do with it
Those guys may be dirt-poor according to our standards, but they sure use technology to better their lives, unlike us.
"Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
Now, if they can recieve internet to their village, I wonder how stable it is. If it is stable enough, wouldn't they be able to setup VOIP for the villagers to use phones? On the other hand, if the connection sucks, I wouldn't think they would want to rely on it for making phone calls. If they can afford computers, using voip would be cheaper than a landline phone anyways!
In the real world more the 70 percent of farms are "online"
With all due respect I'd beg to differ. This may be true of the "North" (USA, Europe, Australia, NZ), but if you mean '70% of the total number of farms / farmers in the world' , I'd guess to disagree. Sub-Saharan Africa, India, China...
Indeed many have problems gaining regular and guaranteed access to water.
Communication is great, as long as you know how to use it.
I think what the author of your parent message was getting at is that it is pointless to throw technology at people without teaching them how to use it. People that have never used laptops and Internet before wouldn't have a clue about what to do if something broken, or why you shouldn't open attachments from 5qh2iotigosd@aol.com as, even though they didn't order any prescription drugs, there's a really important document they have to read...
This "hi-tech solution" may greatly improve the quality of life for those people if they were given the means to learn how to do this themselves ("give them a well") instead of giving them technology ("give them a bucket of water").
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The trouble with pedants is that they're always right.
I think (but i am no expert), that setting up a wifi network is substantially easier than a mobile phone network; specifically for those who are not directly in the communications industry. Wifi requires standard, serviceable off the shelf hardware, and there is alot more free online info on how to setup wifi networks than how to set up a cell tower in your backyard.
Why use a low-data-speed, expensive to install, expensive to use, limited technology?
While each user's equipment is more expensive with WiFi, the user gets far more flexibility in their equipment, and the cost is more than offset by the cheaper access point (it can cost hundreds of thousands to set up a phone tower).
Using WiFi results in a high speed data connection, with internet access as part of the bundle, and the option to make normal phone calls if you want (using VoIP).