A Panacea for Developing Countries

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This era has been called the Information Age. But most developing and emerging countries even now are battling to fully enter the Industrial Age. Access to relevant up-to-date information is essential to these countries in terms of advancing their struggling business sector and helping their scientific community (especially in the medical arena) to form closer bonds with their peers and to keep abreast of the latest techniques and technology. These governments know that without a robust communications infrastructure there can be no information systems or Internet access-they will be isolated in a world that is more and more dependent on high-speed data exchange.

Developing countries such as Estonia, India, Tanzania, Brazil, and Costa Rica have already found that regions with technology-supportive infrastructures, policies and an educated work force are better equipped to reap the benefits of economic development than those that don't have such an infrastructure.

Telecompetition, Inc. (a research firm that specializes in market size data for sub-national areas) released a study in late 2002 predicting that by 2010 the use of wireless devices for data will grow twice as quickly in the world's developing and emerging nations than in the so-called "developed nations." In fact, the report predicts that by 2010 there will be 729 million mobile data subscribers in both the developing and emerging economies, which is about the same as the number of similar subscribers in developed nations. That's because mobile data access in developing and emerging countries is driven by a fundamental need for basic communication services-a need that doesn't exist in developed countries.

Eileen Healy, president of Telecompetition says, "Developing and emerging economies are highly motivated to build an infrastructure as quickly as possible. Adequate communications infrastructure is widely recognized as a key success factor for emerging economies. Mobile networks can often be built more quickly than a traditional wireline infrastructure, and the new IP-based mobile technologies will provide a more cost-effective way for developing countries to expand both voice and data communications."

Wi-Fi technology does not require the expensive initial investment in cable networks that have traditionally carried the brunt of Internet data. Therefore, many developing countries look upon the technology as a way to jump-start their move into the Information Age without undue financial strain on their small budgets. In these countries, businesses and governments have limited resources to support a widespread voice communications infrastructure, much less advanced computer networks. New technologies such as Wi-Fi hold the promise of providing these countries and their citizens with economical access to global data networks.

Some of those countries are already starting to explore the many possibilities afforded by wireless technology. The impetus: An expensive network of copper wires isn't necessary, Wi-Fi allows governments to wirelessly beam information to remote villages, either via a wireless mesh network, or a wireless-enabled bus, or even by satellites that normally fly virtually unused over these countries.

A Wireless Mesh Network

There are many areas around the world where Wi-Fi Nets can be found enabling people to roam, free from wires and still able to access the Internet at high speed. An article written by John Markoff for the March 3, 2002 edition of The New York Times, entitled "The Corner Internet Network vs. the Cellular Giants," (which I paraphrase) perhaps says it best:

Currently, most Wi-Fi networks serve as individual beacons that provide wireless Internet connections to portable computing devices situated within 300 feet/ 152 meters or so of a transmitter, writes Markoff. But what happens when these access points reach a mass that can be woven together to provide anytime anywhere Internet coverage-a high-speed wireless data network built from the bottom up, rather than from the top down (as cellular networks are built). Many industry experts believe that it is possible to take the tens of thousands of local wireless access points and lash them together into a single anarchic wireless network with connections passed from one Wi-Fi node to another, similar to the way cellular phone signals pass from cell to cell.

This ubiquitous wireless network would be modeled closely on the original nature of the Internet, which grew by chaining together separate computer networks. The technology that enables this ubiquitous wireless net is called "wireless mesh routing," i.e. a network architecture built around a "viral telecommunications network" comprised of numerous WLANs that work in unison to provide a pervasive envelope of connectivity. A mesh network connects computers and other devices with each other in a way that enables and extends the reach of all users throughout the network. These networks contain clients (e.g. laptops, PDAs, phones) and access points that act as relays and routers to pass traffic on to similar devices. Traffic bounces along a series of these devices until it gets to its destination, much like packets on the Internet.

Mesh networks also have special design characteristics that make them desirable for certain areas or applications. For instance, a line of sight between connecting devices is not required and devices are free to move around arbitrarily. Mesh networking is viewed as a low-cost method for quickly building a national (or even global) network infrastructure, since, with directional antennae, Wi-Fi can be extended to work for 40 kilometers (25.8 miles)-a distance that would allow rural areas to be linked via wireless mesh routing techniques. Once in place, such a wireless net would offer the promise of a vastly more powerful collaboration-driven by the same technical and social forces that originally built the Internet.

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Figure 2.4: In a mesh network, each wireless node serves as both an access point and wireless router, creating multiple pathways for the wireless signal. Mesh networks have no single point of failure and can be designed to route around line-of-sight obstacles that can interfere with other wireless network topologies. (Graphic courtesy of Proxicast.)

Such networks have the critical advantage of economy of scale. In contrast to cellular data networks, in which every customer is an added cost and a drain on system resources, with wireless mesh networks, the more users who join the network the better the network's performance, so long as they contribute to the infrastructure (by relaying data traffic).

Like the Internet, wireless mesh routing is potentially a proverbial "disruptive technology" in that it is likely to upset the existing order by using the same powerful economies of cost and scale that initially drove the growth of the Internet's subset, the Web. It has the power to potentially transform communications, especially in the many emerging markets of the world-Indonesia is a good example. Thus, Wi-Fi, a technology that the world's developed markets consider to be an "alternate" technology, could become a "mainstream" technology in developing countries, enabling them to jump-start their communications infrastructure into the modern era via high-speed Wi-Fi-enabled communications.

All this has big implications for telecommunications in the developing world. Think for a moment of a "communication utopia" consisting of (1) very low cost, mass-manufactured Wi-Fi PC cards and hubs (we're already there), (2) hubs spread around urban clusters in the developing world-including low-income settlements (it's already beginning to happen), (3) Voice-over-IP, so that voice calls could be made; these calls, of course would be connected to landline and cellular networks through gateways (already possible).

In many ways, Wi-Fi enables a perfect business model for a regional communications company-(a) infrastructure that eliminates most, if not all, of the labor costs of a conventional communications service provider and (b) aggregate capital investment that is mostly borne by the individual customer since they pay for their own set-up costs.

Bridging the Digital Divide

The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, believes that information and communication technologies (like Wi-Fi) can improve the lives of people in developing countries. According to Annan, information and communication technologies (ICT) can help the poor work their way out of poverty, while at the same time benefiting the world community as a whole. Bridging the digital divide, in developing nations, is a formidable task that requires not only leadership, but also a major commitment of resources. Innovations such as Wi-Fi, and other low-cost technologies and business models are now being explored as a means to provide cheap, fast, and eventually free access to the Internet.

In September 2002, Annan delivered his remarks at the opening of the third meeting of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force. In those remarks, he stated, in part:

"There is a vast potential for investment growth in the developing countries. Information and communication technologies can help us turn this potential into concrete opportunities that will help the poor work their way out of poverty, while, at the same time, benefiting the world community as a whole....

"With innovations such as wireless fidelity-commonly known as Wi-Fi-and other low-cost technologies and business models that are now being explored, we should aim to provide cheap, fast and, eventually, free access to the Internet. But investments will still be necessary, not only to ensure that people have the technical skills and the literacy level needed to use information technology facilities and service them, but also to create content that reflects the interests of that part of the world....

"As regards access, developing countries often do not have enough phone lines, which in any case, provide little bandwidth, and, by developing country standards, are expensive to run. Radio [Wi-Fi] is a possibility, indeed a vital one."

And, in November 2002 in his "Challenge to the Silicon Valley," Annan said, among other things, that:

"We need to think of ways to bring wireless fidelity [Wi-Fi] applications to the developing world, so as to make use of unlicensed radio spectrum to deliver cheap and fast Internet access....

"Information technology is extremely cost-effective compared with other forms of capital. Modest yet key investments in basic education and access can achieve remarkable results. Estonia and Costa Rica are well-known examples of how successful IT strategies can help accelerate growth and raise income levels. But even some of the least-developed countries, such as Mali and Bangladesh, have shown how determined leadership and innovative approaches can, with international support, connect remote and rural areas to the Internet and mobile telephony."

Despite the rapid growth in information and communications technology, the Internet still remains a distant dream for much of the world's population. The main reasons are lack of infrastructure, especially in the developing countries, and the exorbitant cost of connectivity. Wireless technologies can alleviate this situation.

Another proponent for wireless is Dr. Onno Purbo, the Jakarta-based expert on information and communication technologies. According to Dr. Purbo, connecting to the Internet using a simple aluminum antenna and a wireless network card could be the best way to narrow Indonesia's digital divide and bolster economic development. In late 2001, he told an audience at the Ottawa headquarters of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), "The goal is to see a knowledge-based society in Indonesia. We need to transform Indonesia's people into knowledge producers rather than knowledge consumers. And the fastest way to do that is through the Internet." That's why Purbo tirelessly promotes the use of Wi-Fi-enabled Internet connections and why he has held numerous workshops across his country to teach thousands of people how to build their own Wi-Fi systems.

Purbo's own high-speed Internet connection is through a wireless local area network and an aluminum antenna. The antenna, which he fastened to the back of his house, uses radio waves to reach access points up to eight kilometers/5 miles away. Not including his computer, the Wi-Fi system cost under $300, a price tag that is shrinking by the day.

"The bandwidth is free and can be resold in Internet cafés. People only pay for the connection, and they can share [that cost] by setting up a neighborhood network," says Purbo. He estimates there are about 2500 Indonesians throughout the country's archipelago who currently have Wi-Fi connections. Purbo laments, "There are an estimated four million [Internet] users among the country's 231 million people. Even within the university community, only 200 of the country's 1300 institutions are on the Internet." Widespread access remains a challenge.

Purbo has set himself a personal goal: to boost those numbers to at least six million in the next few years. To reach his goal, he plans on spreading the message of Wi-Fi connectivity through a series of workshops. After Purbo completes his Eisenhower Fellowship in Washington, his plans are to start his third annual road show of seminars and workshops where he will discuss how the use of voice transmitters, or telephony, can be incorporated into a Wi-Fi system. His plan is to set up Internet chat rooms where Indonesian students can regularly reach students from other countries. He hopes the dialogue between these students will help transform Indonesia into a knowledge-based economy.

Estonia

Let's take a closer look Estonia, a sort of "poster child" for jumpstarting Internet usage via Wi-Fi in developing and emerging nations. People in Estonia can access the Internet from about 500 Public Internet Access Points (i.e. HotSpots). Each HotSpot has a special traffic sign showing its location with the @ symbol.

Most HotSpots are located in libraries. One can easily determine where the nearest HotSpot (also referred to as a Public Internet Access Point or PIAP) is located by going to www.regio.delfi.ee/ipunktid. About 60 public locations (city squares, hotels, pubs, airports etc.) are currently covered with high-speed wireless Internet access.

Consider the Estonian government's very impressive figures from November 1, 2002:

  • 41 per cent of the population are regular Internet users.

  • 30 per cent of the population have a computer at home, 59 per cent of home computers are connected to the Internet.

  • All Estonian schools are connected to the Internet.

  • There are about 500 Public Internet Access Points in Estonia, 36 per 100,000 people (one of the highest numbers in Europe).

  • Incomes can be declared to the Tax Board via Internet.

  • Expenditures made in the state budget can be followed on the Internet in real-time.

  • The Government has changed cabinet meetings to paperless sessions using a web-based document system.

  • 40 per cent of Estonian residents conduct their everyday banking via the Internet.

  • 61 per cent of the population are mobile phone subscribers.

  • All of Estonia is covered by digital mobile phone networks.

According to the RIPE Network Coordination Centre (a Regional Internet Registry that provides allocation and registration services which supports the operation of the Internet globally), Estonia maintains the highest Internet connected hosts / population ratio in Central and Eastern Europe, and it is also ahead of most of the European Union countries.

The Potential Is There

Professor Nicholas Negroponte, director of Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an organization that promulgates information and communications technology for developing and underdeveloped countries, predicts that Wi-Fi technology will revolutionize the telecom industry. Another Wi-Fi supporter, Intel's Craig Barrett, says that the technology will be lapped up by developing countries to spiral broadband growth. This ardent supporter has also been quoted as saying, "developing countries will lead the broadband revolution and in India this revolution will start with technologies like Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and 802.11b."

Information and communication technologies have enormous potential to meet a nation's development challenges, if government, business and the nonprofit sectors work together in strategic partnership. And while technology, including Wi-Fi, doesn't offer a panacea for all of the developing world's problems, detailed analysis does reveal ample evidence that when used in the right way and for the right purposes, information and communications technologies can have a dramatic impact on achieving specific national development goals and strategies.

Of course, as Bill Gates points out, what deprived people need is not computers but fundamentals such as medicine. And, Kevin Watkins of Oxfam reminds us that in much of sub-Saharan Africa more than half of primary-age children are denied the opportunity of even a rudimentary primary education and less than one third make it to secondary school. What both of these men (and others) say is true, and such depressing facts aren't irrelevant. But, Internet access could enable easy dissemination of vital medical information and provide for remote diagnosis. It also offers the potential for improving education-that is if appropriate and inexpensive methods of information delivery (such as Wi-Fi) are utilized.



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Going Wi-Fi. A Practical Guide to Planning and Building an 802.11 Network
Going Wi-Fi: A Practical Guide to Planning and Building an 802.11 Network
ISBN: 1578203015
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 273

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