Community-based Networks and Innovative Technologies: New ...

New models to serve and empower the poorIt is also a proven technology, with installations in Iran, Egypt, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria,Tunisia and Brazil. It is currently used by at least five of Argentina’s telecom cooperatives,while others are in the process of acquiring it. Unlike WiFi, corDECT operates in the 1880- 1935 MHz frequency range, which requires a licence in most countries.For a voice-only network, GSM is an increasingly affordable alternative, even for smallrural networks. A study commissioned by SIDA argues that a viable rural GSM networkcovering an area of up to 4,000 square kilometres with a population of 200,000 can beestablished by a ‘micro operator’ for $250 to $300 per subscriber (Engvall & Hesselmark2004).3.2 Wireless Technologies and Reconfigured NetworksAs with the RAX, the new wireless technologies have characteristics giving them thepotential to reconfigure networks and to put relevant services and applications in thehands of rural communities. These include:1. Low cost and flat cost curves that are changing the economics and investmentrequirements of rural networks;2. Open standards and architecture making them readily scaleable with expansionpaths that can adjust to suit needs and network density. As new networks appear ina given region they can seamlessly join existing ones. As network density increases‘mesh networks’ are created, improving service and reliability for all users;3. They are increasingly simple to configure, operate, maintain, and adapt, thus reducingcosts enabling rural networks to be operated largely with locally-availableexpertise;4. Their adaptability means that the networks they support are also highly adaptablein terms of the services and applications they are able to offer, meeting user needsand capabilities and readily connecting to a wide variety of other networks and terminals;5. They can avoid regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles that have previously encumberedthe emergence of locally-owned networks.Flat Cost Curves and Low CostWhile the actual cost of setting up WiFi or corDECT networks can vary widely dependingon factors such as terrain and population density, a recent World Bank report notesthat “the costs of wireless technology have been declining, and in many cases (such as inareas with low subscriber density) it is now cheaper than wireline. As a result these serviceswill increasingly substitute for one another. Moreover, the much flatter cost curvesof wireless technology indicate that size does not confer significant cost advantages”(World Bank 2004:40). This is supported by the results of a recent study of MicroTelephone Operators using GSM technology in underserved rural areas that concludedthat they could provide service at a lower cost than national operators (Engvall &Hesselmark 2004). With wireless technologies, national scale networks do not offer significanteconomic advantages over locally-owned networks. In fact, one of the majoradvantages of many wireless technologies is that they are amenable to efficient deploy-34