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Wireless Networking Hardware IT Technology

Drive-By Internet In Hard-To-Reach Places 76

Posted by Zonk 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?"
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Drive-By Internet In Hard-To-Reach Places More

Drive-By Internet In Hard-To-Reach Places

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  • that, and more! (Score:5, Funny)

    by User 956 ( 568564 ) on Thursday March 29, 2007 @04:34PM (#18535419) Homepage
    Buses equipped with wi-fi are being used to deliver web content to remote rural villages in the developing world.

    They have wi-fi equipped buses in this country too. Actually, since PCI is a standard, you can equip it with a lot more than just that.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tres3 ( 594716 )
      And how do the buses get connected? If they are the providers of content then they aren't getting it through WiFi themselves.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by dotgain ( 630123 )

        If they are the providers of content then they aren't getting it through WiFi themselves.
        WiNot?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by jmpeax ( 936370 )
      Har Har! I like the way people thought you were talking about a real country. I didn't realise it was possible to read Slashdot and not know what a bus is.

  • It's not just the installation (Score:4, Informative)

    by EmbeddedJanitor ( 597831 ) on Thursday March 29, 2007 @04:34PM (#18535433)
    These places typically have huge problems with keeping wired systems going. Poor roads & access make it hard to fix physical breakages. In many areas, copper phone lines get stolen on regular basis for sale as scrap metal. You can't steal the ether.

  • Better than sandal net (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jhfry ( 829244 ) on Thursday March 29, 2007 @04:36PM (#18535467)
    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.
    • Maybe I'm missing your point, but I don't see that as a bad thing. A big part of development is figuring out what you want and need.

      The article makes this far more complicated than it needs to be. Basically its a mobile digital library and post office. WiFi and Internet isn't kind of beside the point.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jhfry ( 829244 )
        not suggesting that it's a bad thing... it was the original poster's position that such a system

        ... 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?
        His choice of words suggested that he is afraid that such a system will have a negative effect... or I just read it wrong.
  • The local populace do not want this.. things were ok the way they were.. "Woman ! I'm just going to the local internet cafe.. see you in a few hours." Down the road, a few stops at the local shebeens, and the man comes home with a glint in his eye. It's been like this the world over since time began.

  • Bandwidth (Score:5, Funny)

    by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 ) on Thursday March 29, 2007 @04:37PM (#18535485) Homepage Journal
    Do not underestimate the bandwidth of a bus capable of carrying the entire internet.

  • Sports scores? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by L. VeGas ( 580015 )

    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.
    • Yes, every day fresh spam delivery. Cooool!

    • Re:Sports scores? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 ) on Thursday March 29, 2007 @04:49PM (#18535673) Homepage Journal
      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.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AvitarX ( 172628 )
      Useful maybe, but wanted?

      The entrepanuer responsible said they monitor demand and offer to custom grab stuff (for next bus delivery) for a few rupees.

      He said what people want is clips of recent bollywood stuff, pictures of stars, wether, and cricket results.

      Really it's a lot like the internet anywhere.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by norton_I ( 64015 )
      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"
    • 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.

      Huh? In most 3rd world countries, local sports are far more popular than even American televised games. Seeing that local teams travel (abroad sometimes) it will be hard for locals to find out how their team is doing seeing even if they had access to radio or TV that it maybe hard to get coverage of their teams.

      Keep in mind people are not starving to death on a daily
  • As we've proven in this article....
  • Remember back when we all wanted to cut down on phone charges while reading and responding to BBS email and the QWK format was developed, and it was the new hotness? I didn't think so.

    I'd imagine recycling that kind of app would be pretty useful in situations like this -- an app that runs on a constantly-connected server and every 3/5/10/30 minutes checks for updates to your pre-specified webpages, blogs, newsgroups, email, etc., bundles them all into a zip, and lets you download them in a burst when you g

    • Remember back when we all wanted to cut down on phone charges while reading and responding to BBS email and the QWK format was developed, and it was the new hotness? I didn't think so.


      Just because you're number 19767 doesn't mean you're the only old fart here. Of course I remember. SLMR was my mail reader of choice. Some of the old stuff would be great here. Now if we can get them all their own OLPC laptop, they'll be all set.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by the_tsi ( 19767 )
        Sorry, the "I didn't think so" wasn't an attempt to claim 'cred', it was an attempt to be slightly (and humorously) disparaging to the niche market served by QWK readers.
    • I think it is called rsync.
  • First Post!

    Posted by: Mr Indian Villager.

  • This is just like a mobile library [northyorks.gov.uk], so isn't a new idea, but kudos to the person who made the link between the two.

    The only difference is (if you look at that link) North Yorkshire has pimped out, purple buses. Whilst the wi-fi buses are a little more 'make do and mend'.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Nailor ( 999083 )
      They got a bus called "Netti Nysse" at Tampere region Finland. The bus drives in two shifts during a day and is equipped with a bunch of computers, data projector (+other AV equipment) and 5 person willing to teach/help you for free, if you live at Tampere region. I think it has 8 stops where it connects to internet through wlan. Probably useful for kids and old folks.
  • What if you live on Saturn? Drive-by might be your only option.

    This might be a great way to test a real world system where one can only get updates from the overmind once a day or so. i.e. if you lived on Jupiter...or further. Say that big hexagon on Saturn is really an eons old structure built by non-humans...everybody and their grandmother is going to want to go up there and check it out. They're still going to want their email...

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by dh5fbr ( 209173 )
      Well, I should say that thing has been tested already, even tested in space already.

      Back in 199x there were (and probably still are) amateur radio satelites circling the globe. While seeing it you would upload your mails, and the friendly ham in Australia would download them and distribute them down under. This way we could have long distance communication while the internet was still a bit expensive.

      Let us just assume that there is much more neat technology already existing, we just have to find ways using

  • I have believed for a long time (Score:3, Interesting)

    by geekoid ( 135745 ) <{moc.oohay} {ta} {dnaltropnidad}> on Thursday March 29, 2007 @05:15PM (#18536023) Homepage Journal
    that all vehicals should have a router and used in a flowing mesh type of network.

    Use it as an addition to current infrastructure you could have a signal along any busy road in the world.

    Mesh the world, if you put a sign up, put a solar power repeater there.
  • So in the third world, the internet is a big truck taking sports scores out to the villages. You see, Mr Stevens, you were wrong about those tubes.

  • Old school still lives on in the wild (Score:3, Interesting)

    by BigJim.fr ( 40893 ) <jim@liotier.org> on Thursday March 29, 2007 @05:30PM (#18536289) Homepage
    Doesn't this remind you about the early networks ? Think about the protocols that were designed for this sort of asynchronous all-terrain exchanges. This bus could be :
    - Fidonet node
    - NNTP server
    - SMTP server
    - POP server
    - Mirror of many things

    Protocols such as Fido and NNTP have been in use in an age of 300 to 9600 bps connexions and tape spool exchanged between sites. They would be right at home in this sort of bus !

  • Magic Internet Bus (Score:4, Funny)

    by Jherek Carnelian ( 831679 ) on Thursday March 29, 2007 @05:46PM (#18536553)

          Every day I get in the queue
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          To get on the bus that takes me to you
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          I'm so nervous, I just type and smile
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          Your server is only another mile
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          Thank you, driver, for getting my packets here
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          You'll be a forwarder, have no fear
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          I don't want to cause no fuss
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          But can I buy your Magic Bus?
            (Too much, Magic Bus)

          Nooooooooo!

          I don't care how much I pay
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          I wanna drive my bus to the internet each day
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it ...
            (You can't have it!)

          Throughput and bandwidth every day
          Just to drive to my ebay
          Throughput and bandwidth each day
          'Cause I drive my packets every way

          Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus ...

          I said, now I've got my Magic Bus
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          I said, now I've got my Magic Bus
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          I drive my packets every way
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          Each time I go a different way
            (Too much, Magic Bus)

          I want it, i want it, I want it, I want it ...

          Every day you'll see the dust
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
          As I drive my packets in my Magic Bus
            (Too much, Magic Bus)
  • And a wireless mesh.
  • An analog pony express in the past; a digital pony express in the present/future.

    Really. Seriously. NOBODY ELSE IS USING THAT METAPHOR?.

    Did I just have an original thought? I thought they were all taken.

  • the eTUKTUK (Score:2, Interesting)

    by grubdog ( 1081741 )
    This is a similar initiative in Sri Lanka but uses a three-wheeled motorbike, or 'tuktuk', one of the favoured forms of transport in that part of the world. A mobile phone is used for on-demand internet connectivity. Loudspeakers and a projector allow for a whole village to access the one computer and it also features an FM transmitter and radio 'studio' for mobile production and broadcasting of community radio. www.etuktuk.org
  • I can hear grandpaw telling his kids in 2050:

    "In my day, we had 3 day ping times, and we liked it!"
  • Like that tiny area in the middle of your back, right between your shoulder blades.
  • ....it would be cheaper just to fly first class to Redmond waving plastic than to download that Vista torrent.
  • But what will they do when the tubes get full?
  • and medicine. I would guess that putting food on the table and keeping healthy are the things people in developing nations need. Its like the 'internet gap'; some of the people in the U.S. who don't have access to the internet need more important things like food and shelter. Maybee some affordable health care? Just a thought.
  • I first read about this idea several years ago, but haven't been able to find out what happened after those first experiments with a motorbike. Attaching the system to a bus is a stroke of genius.

  • nntp (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Khelder ( 34398 ) on Friday March 30, 2007 @09:07AM (#18542765)
    This reminds me of a model for information distribution that was really popular at one time: nntp [wikipedia.org].

    Anybody else miss the days before Cantor and Siegel?

  • http://www.globetel.net/ [globetel.net]

    This company and several others are working to make wireless internet access for wide areas available and it's particularly suited to developing countries where they don't have a wired infrastructure already like the US does.
  • Quick! Donate your old Pringles cans and 802.11b cards!

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