The Cell Phone: An Anthropology of Communication
The Cell Phone: An Anthropology of Communication
Beyond pilots: keeping rural wireless networks alive
NSDI'08 Proceedings of the 5th USENIX Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation
Proceedings of the 4th ACM Workshop on Networked Systems for Developing Regions
VillageCell: cost effective cellular connectivity in rural areas
Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development
Serval mesh software-WiFi multi model management
Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Wireless Technologies for Humanitarian Relief
Deployments made easy: essentials of managing a (rural) wireless mesh network
Proceedings of the 3rd ACM Symposium on Computing for Development
Kwiizya: local cellular network services in remote areas
Proceeding of the 11th annual international conference on Mobile systems, applications, and services
An experiment in reducing cellular base station power draw with virtual coverage
Proceedings of the 4th Annual Symposium on Computing for Development
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Over five billion people are active cellular subscribers, spending over a trillion dollars a year on communications. Despite this, hundreds of millions of people are still not connected. Implicit in these networks is a top-down design, with large nation-scale telecommunication firms deciding when and where coverage will be available. This is enforced by the large capital investment required to run cellular systems; base stations can cost upwards of US$100,000 and require expensive related core infrastructure. Recent technological innovations have enabled much cheaper cellular equipment; a base station now costs around US$10,000 and requires none of the other related systems. This reduction in cost is enabling new models of cellular telephony. Small organizations are suddenly capable of being service providers. In this work we ask, "How successful would bottom-up cellular networks be?" Essentially we argue for and demonstrate a local cellular network, utilizing existing infrastructure (e.g., power, network, and people) to operate at much lower cost, with less required capital, bringing coverage to areas not traditionally able to support cellular deployments. This network also provides sustainable employment and revenue to local entrepreneurs and services for the local community. We demonstrate the value of this concept by conducting an ongoing six-month long field deployment in rural Papua, Indonesia, in partnership with local NGOs. This network is currently live, with 187 subscribers sustainably providing US$830 per month in revenue (US$368 in profit) for the operator and employment for three different credit sellers in the village. We also show that this network provides a valuable service to the community through usage logs and user interviews.