MESHING UP RURAL SRI LANKA

Wed, 29/07/2009 - 21:45
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CONNECTING RURAL SRI LANKAN VILLAGES WITH INTERNET USING LOW COST MESH NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY

1. Project summary
Summary: 

 

The way the idea was born –
 
THE IDEA OF A MESH NETWORK IN A RURAL SRI LANKAN VILLAGE WAS BORN IN RURAL VILLAGE OF MAHAVILACHCHIYA IN THE YEAR 2004. HAVING HEARD THAT MAHAVILACHCHIYA WAS A RURAL VILLAGE WITH A HIGH COMPUTER DENSITY, THANKS TO A PROJECT NAMED DIGITAL BUTTERFLIES HTTP://DIGITALBUTTERFLIES.WORDPRESS.COM/ THAT WAS INITIATED BY HORIZON LANKA FOUNDATION WWW.HORIZONLANKA.NET IN MAHAVILACHCHIYA. A NETWORKING EXPERT OF A COMPANY CALLED ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY PVT LTD. HTTP://WWW.ENTERPRISETL.COM/ SUGGESTED THAT ‘MESH TECHNOLOGY’, A WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE IDEAL TO CONNECT THESE COMPUTERS AT A LOWER COST THAN THE TRADITIONAL WIRED SOLUTIONS.
 
who developed that idea –
 
MR NANDASIRI WANNINAYAKA, “AN ASHOKA FELLOW” http://www.ashoka.org/fellow/4394 THE FOUNDER OF HORIZON LANKA FOUNDATION EXPLORED HOW INTERNET IN RURAL HOUSEHOLDS CAN HELP IMPROVE ENGLISH KNOWLEDGE OF THE RURAL STUDENTS AND JOINED HANDS WITH ETPL IN 2004 WHEN FUNDING FOR A MESH NETWORK WAS AWARDED BY THE PAN ASIA ICT R&D GRANTS PROGRAM.
 
THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED AND LAUNCHED BY 2006. http://www.horizonlanka.net/news/2006/mesh/index.html THE GRANT COVERED 1/4THE OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF THE VILLAGE AND PROVIDED FREE INTERNET ACCESS TO 28 HOUSES AND TWO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT ALSO ADDED 7 WI-FI ZONES TO THE VILLAGE, A LUXURY EVEN IN THE CAPITAL CITY BY THAT TIME. IT PROVIDED VERY SATISFYING RESULTS BY ENABLING THE STUDENTS IN THE VILLAGE TO GET ‘A’ GRADES TO THEIR ENGLISH. ENGLISH IS TAUGHT AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN SRI LANKA OFTEN CONSIDERED AS A DIFFICULT LANGUAGE. INNOVATIVE USAGE OF EMAILING, INSTANT MESSENGER SERVICES, WRITING TO WEBSITES, ONLINE FORUMS, DOING WORK-STUDY PROJECTS TO A COMPANY CALLED OPENWORLD LLC, USA WAS HELPFUL IN ACHIEVING THE SUCCESS. APNIC HTTP://WWW.APNIC.NET/ PROVIDED ANOTHER GRANT TO HORIZON LANKA IN 2009 TO EXPAND THE MESH NETWORK TO THE ENTIRE VILLAGE THAT HAS BEEN ALREADY DONE WITH A SERVICE PROVIDER NAMED LANKACOM HTTP://WWW.LANKACOM.COM.
 
Who is applying to the project today.
 
HORIZON LANKA FOUNDATION (HLF) IS APPLYING FOR THE GRANT TO REPLICATE THIS SUCCESSFUL MODEL OF MESHING UP RURAL VILLAGES IN SRI LANKA THROUGH MESH TECHNOLOGY. HLF HAS EXPERIENCES IN IMPLEMENTING MESH NETWORKS WITH TWO GRANTS BY HIRING TWO INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISP). HLF HOPES TO USE THE EXPERTISE OF LANKACOM, THE CURRENT ISP, TO REPLICATE THE PROJECT IN OTHER VILLAGES OF RURAL SRI LANKA, INCLUDING THE VILLAGES IN THE NORTH AND EASTERN PROVINCES OF SRI LANKA WHICH WERE AFFECTED BY A 3-DECADE LONG WAR THAT ENDED FEW MONTHS AGO.

 

2. Country (City / Region)
State: 
Sri Lanka
City: 
Mahavilachchiya
3. Company/organization/institute presenting the project
Organization: 
Horizon Lanka Foundation
4. Type of organization
Select type: 
Private institution
5. Project coordinator
Name and Surname: 
TIKIRI BANDAGE NANDASIRI WANNINAYAKA
E-Mail: 
WANNI77@GMAIL.COM
6. Website
The website of the project: 
WWW.HORIZONLANKA.NET
7. Please select the category in which you candidate your project
Youth Education Project. Select Project Users by age: 
Up to 29 years
Helping youth step in the job market: 
NOT Helping youth step in the job market
Creativity and Social Innovation: 
NOT in Creativity and Social Innovation
8. How long has your project been running?
From: 
04/11/2006
9. Targets and Elements of Innovation
Please explain the targets and the background of your project: 

BY 2006, WHEN THE MESH INTERNET NETWORK WAS INTRODUCED TO MAHAVILACHCHIYA, THERE WAS NO TELEPHONE ACCESS TO MAHAVILACHCHIYA. BUT THE HORIZON LANKA FOUNDATION ERECTED A TOWER TO GET INTERNET SIGNALS TO ITS COMPUTER LAB BY 2004. SINCE THE STUDENTS SHOWED REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR ICT AND ENGLISH SKILLS HLF WANTED TO FIND A TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE INTERNET TO STUDENTS’ HOUSES AND SCHOOLS. SINCE THERE WAS NO TELEPHONES, MESH WAS THE ONLY VIABLE OPTION AVAILABLE. SO THE TARGET GROUP, THE STUDENTS AND THE YOUTH WERE PROVIDED INTERNET AND WHEN REPLICATING THE MESH NETWORKS IN OTHER VILLAGES WITH GJC GRANT, THE HLF HOPES TO TARGET CHILDREN AND THE YOUTH AS TARGET GROUPS AND ENSURE THOSE BENEFICIARIES HAVE EASY AND AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO INTERNET USING MESH TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE THEIR ENGLISH AND ICT SKILLS.

What does it try to achieve and how: 

THE MESH REPLICATING PROJECT TRIES TO PROVIDE MORE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO THE RURAL CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO DO NOT HAVE EASY ACCESS TO INTENET BY PROVIDING INTERNET THROUGH LOW COST MESH NETWORKS IN ISOLATED RURAL VILLAGES. THE PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT MESH NETWORKS IN SELECTED VILLAGES WHERE THERE ARE AT LEAST USED PCS TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF OLPCS AND NETBOOKS WITH THE REPLICATING PROJECT, THE STUDENTS WILL FIND IT EVEN EASIER TO ACCESS THE NET.

Which opportunities/problems does it address to: 

THE GAP BETWEEN THE DIGITALLY EQUIPPED URBAN CHILDREN AND YOUTH AND THE DIGITALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN RURAL AREAS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY BRIDGED THROUGH THIS PROJECT. INTERNET WILL NOT BE A LUXURY WITH PROHIBITIVE PRICES ANYMORE FOR THE RURAL STUDENTS. THE RURAL STUDENTS AND YOUTH DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GOOD SCHOOLS, TEACHERS OR EQUIPMENT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED BY AUTHORITIES AS THE PRIORITY GOES TO URBAN AREAS.

Please explain what is unique or special in your project: 

THE UNIQUENESS OF THE PROJECT IS THAT IT WILL USE A WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY CALLED MESH TO PROVIDE INTERNET AT A COMPARATIVELY LOW COST TO USERS’ HOUSES AND WILL CREATE WI-FI ZONES IN RURAL VILLAGES FOR THE USERS TO USE LAPTOPS, NETBOOKS AND OLPCS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. EACH VILLAGE WILL SHARE ONE INTERNET BILL FOR THE WHOLE VILLAGE THAN PAYING DIFFERENT BILLS THAT IS UNAFFORDABLE.

10. Results
Describe the results of your project as per today: 
  1. STUDENTS PASSING ENGLISH WITH A GRADES AT NATIONAL LEVEL EXAMS
  2. MORE FAMILIES BUYING AT LEAST USED PCS (INSTEAD OF TVS) FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
  3. STUDENTS FROM THE VILLAGE ARE OBTAINING DEGREES, DIPLOMAS AND CERTIFICATES IN ICT FROM REPUTED INSTITUTES IN THE COUNTRY SINCE THEY HAVE LEARNT THE BASICS FROM THE VILLAGE
  4. THE WHOLE VILLAGE IS COVERED WITH INTENET AND BOTH THE YOUTH AND THE ADULTS ARE BENEFITTED ACADEMICALLY, COMMERCIALLY AND IN OTHER FORMS SUCH AS ENTERTAINMENT, INFORMATION, ETC.
  5. MAHAVILACHCHIYA HAS GOT A GOOD PUBLICITY WORLDWIDE AS A VILLAGE WITH ICT INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENGLISH KNOWLEDGE SO THAT BUSINESSES SUCH AS BPO (BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING) ARE COMING TO THE VILLAGE NOW.
  6. MORE YOUTH FROM THE VILLAGE GET INTO ICT/ENGLISH RELATED JOBS WHEREAS THE MAIN OPTIONS IN THE PAST WAS EITHER JOINING ARMY OR WORKING AS MACHINE OPERATORS IN GARMENT FACTORIES
  7. MORE TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES ARE INTERESTED IN COVERING THE VILLAGE AND ALMOST ALL PROVIDERS ARE OPERATING IN MAHAVILACHCHIYA NOW.
  8. MANY RESEARCHES ARE DONE ABOUT MAHAVILACHCHIYA BY EVEN FOREIGN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS NOW.
  9. OTHERS ARE INTERESTED IN STARTING ICT RELATED INITIATIVES SUCH AS ONLINE RADIO STATIONS, ETC IN MAHAVILACHCHIYA DUE TO ITS AVAILABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
  10. THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS TO TEACH ENGLISH AND ICT IN THE VILLAGE DUE TO ITS INFRASTRUCTURE.
How does it fulfill the users’ needs: 

 

 

 
How many users interact with your project per month and what are the preferred forms of interaction: 

 

 

 
How has it improved the quality of educational and/or training services: 

 

 

 
Describe how you measure (parameters) these results: 
  1. English knowledge improvement
  2. ICT skills enhancement
  3. Being informed with the latest information
  4. Farmers being able to access market information
  5. Number of PCs in the village compared to other villages
11. Sustainability
What is the full duration of your project: 
From 3 to 6 years
What is the approximate total budget for your project (in USD): 
From 75.001 to 500.000
What is the source of funding for your project: 
Grants
Is your project economically self sufficient now: 
No
12. Transferability
Has your project been replicated/adapted elsewhere: 
No
Specify: 

 

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What lessons can others learn from your project: 

OTHERS CAN LEARN HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT AND THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF THE PROJECT. ALSO SOMETIMES THE BAD WEATHER, TREE CANOPY, ELECTRICITY FLUCTUATIONS, LIGHTENING, PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES, ETC. CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS AND OTHERS CAN LEARN ABOUT THEM FROM MAHAVILACHCHIYA MESH NETWORK.

We are available to help others starting or working on similar projects: 
We are available to help others starting or working on similar projects.
13. Background information
Background: 

PLEASE VISIT http://www.horizonlanka.net/news/2006/mesh/index.html FOR SUCH DETAILS.

Barriers: 

THE BIGGEST BARRIER WAS GETTING LICENSES FOR THE FREQUENCY FROM THE REGULATORS. IT TOOK ALMOST 2 YEARS OF STRUGGLING BUT AS A RESULT OF MESH NETWORK IN MAHAVILACHCHIYA, OTHER VILLAGERS ALSO CAN GET LICENSES EASLY NOW SINCE THERE WAS A POLICY CHANGE.

Solutions: 

HORIZON LANKA’S LOYAL WELL-WISHER BASE TOOK THE CHALLENGE BY LOBBYING FOR THE MESH NETWORK THROUGH BLOGS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ETC. AND FINALLY THE LICENSE WAS ISSUED.

Future plans and wish list: 

THE FUTURE PLAN IS TO MAKE THE WHOLE PROJECT SUSTAINABLE AND COMMERCIALLY VIABLE. WE NEED FEW YEARS’ FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR IT. IN FUTURE WE WANT TO VENTURE INTO E-LEARNING AND OFFER ACCEPTED CERTIFICATES, DIPLOMAS, DEGREES ETC. FROM HORIZON LANKA IN MAHAVILACHCHIYA. WE ALSO WANT TO USE OUR VOLUNTEERS TO TEACH THE STUDENTS AND YOUTH IN OTHER VILLAGES THROUGH A VIDEO CONFERENCING TECHNOLOGY IN FUTURE.

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