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Drive-By Internet In Hard-To-Reach Places

Posted by Zonk on from the i'd-get-on-that-bus dept.

oldwindways writes "The BBC reports that in developing nations where it is prohibitively expensive to install the infrastructure for wired internet connections, drive by wireless updates are becoming a popular solution to the demand for internet access. This sounds great for checking news updates, sports scores, and visiting your regular websites, but somewhat limited if you are trying to do basic research and don't know exactly where your search will take you. It is certainly an innovative solution to some of the problems encountered in tackling the digital divide, but what longterm effects might this model have on the development of a communications infrastructure?"

5 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. Better than sandal net by jhfry · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ok, I'll admit that was wrong. But seriously, this is not going to do anything but increase the demand for an actual internet connection. I promise, this guy delivering small doses of the internet by bus for a few rupees here and there is only creating a new market where almost none existed.

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    Sometimes the best solution is to stop wasting time looking for an easy solution.
  2. Sports scores? by L.+VeGas · · Score: 1, Insightful

    This sounds great for checking news updates, sports scores, and visiting your regular websites. You know, I bet I can think up one or two slightly more helpful uses for internet connectivity in the 3rd world besides checking sports scores.
    --
    Best Windows Freeware
    1. Re:Sports scores? by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 4, Insightful

      2 words, Customer demand.
      They provide a service customers want.

      Newspapers give a wide selection of articles because people are interested in different things, this service is just the same.
      It says most users cannot read English, so the driver shows them and translates for them.

      No wasted paper and a nice scalable infrastructure.
      I wouldn't be surprised if this kind of service doesn't take off, there could be franchises all around.
      Wouldn't be long term, but it would make money.

      Congrats to the guy who put it together.

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      liqbase :: faster than paper
    2. Re:Sports scores? by norton_I · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In any given community, only a few percentage of the people will come up with the clever way to change their environment for the better. Those people will use the internet bus to learn agricultural techniques to increase crop yields, the medical information they need to help their family and fellow villagers, and whatever else they need while the other 95% of the people will get their cricket scores. Indirectly, the sports fans will make the internet available to those who are using it to do the "useful" things you talk about. Of course, if the village pooled the money they were going to spend on sports scores they could send the braniac kid to the city to use the internet (or a library) and bring back all kinds of knowledge, but this way they also get the cricket scores. Everybody wins.

  3. Re:It's not just the installation by cheater512 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Use Fiber instead of copper? Its a bit harder to sell a few hundred meters of fiber you stole.