Community Wireless Connectivity Project

The project is planning four regional workshops in Africa in 2005 where it will aim to train up to 100 possible future trainers. Th eproject is also producing materials in English, French and Arabic.

The first workshop took place in March 2005 in Mtoni, Zanzibar. A range of East African electronic networkers, telecentre workers, civil society systems administrators, technical staff from existing internet service providers and other IT skills-sharers attended the week-long hands-on training. The workshop covered everything needed to plan, budget, set up, manage, maintain and develop a fully-functioning wireless network that can be used by a local community.

The materials developed for the training was structured in units that follow the Multimedia Training Kit (MMTK) format being used by APC, UNESCO and others, providing the training community in general with a set of materials with a flexible structure.

Technology.

Transmitting an internet connection without being restricted to the cabled infrastructure of telecommunications providers is getting the internet and email to areas formerly excluded from connectivity. The wireless signal can carry backbone internet traffic, including data and voice, more cheaply, and often more reliably, than much of the existing traditional telecoms equipment. It costs less and it can reach further. In order to bring a meaningful result to a disempowered and disconnected community there is a need to open wireless standards, and the way that the community can harness their wireless network. With wireless, their connectivity is driven by an infrastructure that communities can build, own, maintain and develop themselves.

The project organisers are hoping to work on developing similar projects for the Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions. A Peruvian technician attended the training in Zanzibar and is already galvanising interest and expertise in Latin America to run the training there.