Helping Connect Africa, Wirelessly
About the Linknet Wi-Fi Hotspot Deployment
We’ve volunteering our time and services to help African Cooperative Linknet connect rural Africa. In the West, we take Internet access for granted: Zambia has yet to benefit.
Without Internet access, a whole nation may be left behind. We cannot let this happen.
On top of the world
The first Wireless connection is installed in Macha - an isolated village, 8 hours by bus from the capital Lusaka and 3 hours from the nearest town. Macha is also home to the National Malaria Institute, MIAM. Access to the Internet keeps the people of Macha connected and provides essential access for education, research and employment. Without this connection Macha and other remote towns in Africa will be left behind.
What's the big problem?
Zambia does not have the infrastructure to support widespread access to broadband. If you've ever travelled through Africa, you'll understand why. If you haven't, it takes three hours to fly over the Sahara...that's about the same time it takes to fly across Europe.
Linknet's current solution is to install satellite connections which provide access in the remote areas. These connections costs over $2,000 per month and are 30 times slower than our broadband lines. These cost more than the average yearly Zambian salary. The PolkaSpots Wi-Fi solution controls the connection, by evenly dividing the bandwidth between multiple users. The PolkaSpots System also gives Linknet the ability to generate Internet Vouchers that provide controlled, timed access for visitors and residents.
Understanding the complexity of such a Wi-Fi Network
Setting up a system in such a remote area is far from simple. Constant power outages and slow bandwidth make installation difficult. Hardare failures are a daily occurrence; expensive equipment is out of the questions. It can take 6 months for new equipment to arrive and the shipping costs are outrageous. The terrain is mainly flat but the locations to be covered are far apart.
After resolving complex hardware problems, the system is up and running, providing access to over a hundred users per day, including schools, hospitals and the wider Macha community.
What's next?
Linknet have just ordered 35 more Wi-Fi Hotspot Boxes, and in doing so, they are not just broadening educational resources but generating work and educational opportunities in Macha.
PolkaSpots hope to continue working with LinkNet to a point where Zambia can install a Wireless Network with local knowledge rather than relying on outsiders.