SolarNetOne Wants Stable Internet Connections For Developing Nations

There are many initiatives to bring tech to developing areas of the globe; things like OLPC, Geekcorps, and UN programs. One new approach from SolarNetOne strives to allow users in those developing areas to have access to an internet connection without having to depend on unreliable infrastructure. "Each SolarNetOne kit is a self-powered communications network. Energy is produced from a solar array sized to each locale's latitude and predominant weather conditions. The generated power is stored in a substantial battery array, and circuit breakers and electronics protect the gear from overloads and other perturbations. A basic kit includes five 'seats,' implemented as thin clients connected through a LAN to a central server. The networking gear also includes a long-range, omnidirectional WiFi access point, and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) device. Each kit also includes all the cables and wires required to assemble the system, so few additional materials are required for an installation."

Comments

Is the digital divide really the problem here?

[Palestrina]

Think of it this way, before 2000, or so, most people in the developed countries were not connected to the internet either. But that did not prevent us from attaining a high level of education, standard of living, etc. We landed a man on the moon with most engineers still using slide rules!

So I'm not buying it that the life of the average African would be substantially improved by their ability to download videos from YouTube. The article uses the example of Rwanda, that only 1% of the population can connect to the internet. OK, that is very low, I admit. But maybe decades of genocidal tribal warfare might also be a factor here, and addressing the root causes might a higher priority than the ability to set up a Facebook page.

I think it comes down to the basics: pubic safety, rule of law, market structures, literacy, infrastructure, etc. A connection to the internet can certainly help, in some cases. But in no way is it a necessity. Lower tech solutions may be more robust and effective, e.g., long distance shortwave radios, packet radio BBS's, etc.

Re:Is the digital divide really the problem here?

[Palestrina]

Didn't word of Tienanmen Square spread via fax machines?

My point is if you are looking for the greatest impact, then your idea of robustness needs to encompass more than the physical properties of the device. You're more likely to fail for lack of training, spare parts, support, basic infrastructure, etc. I think shortwave radio is far more robust. That is what we whip out in hurricanes, etc., when all the basic infrastructure is down. It is what works when nothing else does.

If I dropped you at a random spot in Africa, would you rather have a handheld shortwave radio? Or an iPhone?

(And forget for a moment that you would be more likely to be able to trade the iPhone for a ride to the nearest international airport)

Re:Is the digital divide really the problem here?

[NoNeeeed]

You are right, being able to watch youtube videos it not very useful.

Unless it's a youtube video about treating a livestock disease, or better techniques for planting.

Or perhaps being able to contact someone at the market *before* you set of on the three day trek to sell your crops/animals so that you know it's worth going and that you'll get a good price, rather than getting there and getting stiffed because you have to sell to *someone* but there's a glut.

Seriously, this isn't about being able to watch Star Wars parody videos on YouTube. It's about communication. In large, thinly populated countries, with terrible physical infrastructure, and sod-all education provision, communication can make a huge difference.

Mobile phones are massively popular in Africa, incredibly useful for farmers and traders, allowing them to organise, and work more efficiently. They have made a very real difference to the way these societies operate.

Remember, unlike the developed world, which is replacing otherwise functional communications infrastructure with the Internet, the developed world is jumping straight to it. This isn't about having the internet in Africa, it's about having any working communications system at all in Africa, and at the moment the best candidate systems are mobile phones and the internet.

Re:Is the digital divide really the problem here?

[IntricateEnigma]

The parent is correct. I've worked internationally, and very few problems can simply be solved by providing material possessions to those without them. You can donate a tractor to a village and even provide them training in how to use it, but chances are it will never see even a portion of its potential. Even the most trivial of maintenance tasks for us can become incredibly compounded and complicated out there even if they have enough of a fundamental grasp of how to perform the maintenance. Where do I get oil? What happens the first time it needs an "inexpensive" $200 part from the USA or Europe?

The most successful programs that bring change to an area focus more on teaching people how to fully take advantage of the resources already at their disposal. A singular technology or resource can be brought in and taught if its fundamentally simple (like a hand water pump; forget electric) or how to make and use soap with the materials around them. Believe me, some of those tasks are already arduous.

This project is incredibly useful though, just not for the natives or computer illiterate. Target groups would be the international companies or organizations who set up bases in country and need and know how to take full advantage of the internet as a resource.

Essential Camping Equipment

[flatass]

Now I just need a trailer to tow this baby along on our next family "camping" trip. God I love the great outdo.... wait! someone is wrong on the Internet! Kids your going to have to go hiking on your own.

Re:The Internet can feed the world

[gclef]

While that statement is true on it's surface, it's also missing the point entirely. You also can't pull a people out of poverty by giving them food. You pull them out of poverty by teaching them how to do things for themselves (and minimizing corruption, but that's another discussion).

Put another way, giving developing nations access to information is the long term solution...food aid is the short term one.

Re:Me, me!

[StellarFury]

I'm not sure that no-infrastructure internet is possible in a heavily-bureaucratized, corporate-dominated country like this.

Unless you're talking about just the "unreliable" infrastructure part. In which case it's still impossible in a heavily-bureaucratized, corporate-dominated country like this.