[wsfii-discuss] Economic Sustainability of Community Wireless

Tue Apr 10 18:30:35 UTC 2007

All,

Perhaps, we should certainly discuss this topic, that being approaches
to economic structures for community wireless. The cooperative model is
one that has been explored successfully for agriculture in Africa, as
have other models. There are now many successful micro-enterprise models
(typically financed by microfinance) that too serve as compelling
models. It is perhaps suffice to say that there is no one economic model
that will suit every community. The economic model depends on the
availability of resources in that community. In most lesser developed
countries there are fewer examples of models, so often a great effort is
required and certainly the study and application of best-practices is
imperative. Certainly in Thomas' vast country resources are limited and
so economic models that are adapted to the context there are required.
The sustainability of a vsat-based wireless network in poorer countries
is precarious at best. We have (since my time at the aforementioned
Geekcorps project and after) been working on these models, some have
worked, some have not, but we continue to learn and so do the
communities where we have worked.

Regarding the language divide, there is, I'm afraid a vast linguistic
divide between English-French and Arabic countries in Africa. We have
tried to bridge that in the FOSS (open source) community, with little
success. The best is to make sure to involve those who can individually
span those people networks. The APC wireless effort has a formidable
community of people who were involved with that project. They are in the
midst of migrating lists, but a French list is forthcoming. Si vous êtes
intéressé me signalé et je vous referez quand il est prêt.

Cheers!

Ian

jeff buderer wrote:
>
> Thomas,
>
> Thanks for adding your input here.
>
> My view is that a cooperative good not only to distribute hardware and
> bandwidth and provide connectivity but also to enable funding to
> develop Community Wireless Networks and training for such approaches
> and developments.
>
> The VSAT ISP is an interesting idea and one of the greatest challenges
> is to bring the costs of VSAT down to more reasonable levels. Yet of
> course one would require a very high degree of economic leverage to
> achieve such a task.
>
> About French yes I think there are a lot of political issues relating
> to this and I don’t think the natural tendency is to organize French
> speakers around technical issues. However the offline Wikipedia system
> Moulin was developed first in French by Geek Corps.
> http://www.moulinwiki.org/l/en/
>
> Jeff
>
> -----Original Message-----
> *From:* wsfii-discuss-bounces at lists.okfn.org
> [mailto:wsfii-discuss-bounces at lists.okfn.org] *On Behalf Of *Thomas Maketa
> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 10, 2007 8:24 AM
> *To:* Discuss list on the World Summit on Free Information Infrastructure
> *Subject:* Re: [wsfii-discuss] Economic Sustainability of Community
> Wireless
>
> I Have read this exchange and find it very exciting different views
> different sensibility in approach...
> I really think that a cooperative for buying WIFI hardware is a good
> idea, I think about it as a big cooperative where Wifi communities
> will seat and plan their needs and negotiate the better price to
> manufacturer...
>
> If we push that logic further, one can also think that the WIFI
> community must appropriate all the chain of services it needs, why not
> to build a cooperative VSAT ISP, which could provide Internet
> connectivity among its member at negotiated cost?.
>
> I have talked about the idea with a lot of people and I see it very
> feasible. In Africa there are multiples in projects , in installation
> or already existing WIFI communities. And I think that it would be
> great that all of them meet or initiate contact and see how they can
> share resources for solving common problems in coordinated way.
> I have an example: In Africa the only way to have Internet signal is
> via VSAT(in some countries you can get it via Fiber, but I dont have
> clear ideas of realities of those countries), some VSAT provider have
> offer for societies having multiples locations for their VSAT (the
> only limitation is the coverage of their satellite) and proposes the
> option of linking them into a lone network. If all WIFI communities of
> Africa (or the world) using VSAT for Internet unite and appear in
> front of the VSAT ISP as a block (what seems a little utopia...) they
> can negotiate better price, have all their site interconnected into a
> virtual network (free VOIP communication, free IM,...).
> I know that currently everyone has his own provider but each situation
> evolves and concert could be good.
>
> Beside I see a lot of contribution in the English speaking world but I
> see very few from French speaking countries of Africa (or maybe it's
> because the forum is in English...).
> We are based in DRC and would really want to have contact with others
> French WIFI communities from Africa. What does not mean that we are
> bounded into a language segregation shema (the proof I write in english).
>
> >the idea is about a trading and manufacturing cooperative for WIFI
> >hardware. at the wsfii, people, in the majority locals, sit together and
> >prepare for a (future) demand in WIFI hardware in Ghana. development aid
> >is not nessecarily involved. we sit together and set up a business PLAN,
> >according to the possible demand for the next 12 month. this demand
> >certainly is a matter of research.
> >.then with some voluntary support from US and Europe we look for some
> >(ethical or direct) investment and for cheap hardware to buy. thats
> >business, a social enterprise, which will benefit the employees and the
> >communities, because it will share any price reduction amongst the
> >customers, instead of making someONE rich.
>
> On 4/10/07, *marco* <marco.pompe at web.de <mailto:marco.pompe at web.de>>
> wrote:
>
> Matthew Asham - BCWNS wrote:
> > We must all be mindful that solutions to local problems must come
> from within the communities, and that perhaps, our roles within
> > our respective organizations when dealing with cross-cultural or
> cross socio-economic co-operation are really gatekeepers; but
> ultimately the answers to Socio-Economic development have to come from
> the local community, or regional districts.
>
> i totally agree with general scepticism about development aid and euro-
> or us-centric minds planning the life of the underpreviledged. i am
> quiet aware of development aid being a part of the "game" keeping "the
> wretched" in their position. anyway, i want this discussion to become a
> little more pragmatic, so ill describe a little further what i have in
> mind:
>
> the idea is about a trading and manufacturing cooperative for WIFI
> hardware. at the wsfii, people, in the majority locals, sit together and
> prepare for a (future) demand in WIFI hardware in Ghana. development aid
> is not nessecarily involved. we sit together and set up a business PLAN,
> according to the possible demand for the next 12 month. this demand
> certainly is a matter of research.
> then with some voluntary support from US and Europe we look for some
> (ethical or direct) investment and for cheap hardware to buy. thats
> business, a social enterprise, which will benefit the employees and the
> communities, because it will share any price reduction amongst the
> customers, instead of making someONE rich.
>
> the local context is more or less expanding wireless networks, pushed by
> local NGOs and local or national authorities, however it will look like.
> we shouldnt forget, there is already something going in Ghana and with
> some efforts in promoting the wsfii and the experiences which people
> made all over the world with this technology, much more interest will
> arise, and as i know the Ghanaians - more will happen.
>
> this idea doesnt answer the question of how to expand the wireless
> networks, because i agree, that this is question to be answered locally.
> its about reliable and fair hardware supply, about democratisation of
> economy - including the creations of jobs in the high tech sector.
>
> grts, marco, berlin
>
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