Monday, November 14, 2005

Wireless where you least expect

1)In this BBC article 'Macedonia leads world with wi-fi':

" a project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has brought broadband internet access to hundreds of such remote villages in Macedonia by putting the country's 460 primary and secondary schools online...The network makes use of Macedonia's bumpy terrain by using mountains as distribution points for wireless connectivity, a network connecting the parts copper wires cannot reach."

2) In another BBC article - 'Yak farmers online in Nepal':

"Seven yak farming villages typically separated by two days’ walk are communicating wirelessly with each other and the Internet. In May 2002 the first relay station was installed atop a 20 meter tree. The high altitude of the area put transmitting altitude at 10,800 feet. The transmitter was composed of a normal 8-foot TV dish antenna and a one-liter measuring can. The same tree is still used as a transmitting tower. The history, methods and plans for the project are online at Nepal Wireless."

Great stories!! And not just the usual tech countries...

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