SWiFiIC Sustainable WiFi in Indian Context

All rural Information and Communication Technology (ICT) approaches have tried to take Internet based services to villages, which are basically, just urban solutions adapted for rural needs.
But lack of electrical power and technical human expertise hinders sustainability of such deployments beyond the subsidized trials. Almost all attempts were technically very "intensive" and needed significant engineering effort to develop new apps for local people.

Approach

  • Deprioritize Internet for end users.
    • We may have gateway apps to integrate with Internet based apps in future.
  • Provide a Delay Tolerant platform
    • Where apps (both server and client pieces) are easy to develop.
    • Do not assume server and clients to be in direct communication.
  • But if they are close - performance becomes close to real time
  • Allow opportunity to monetize for platform operator. Incentivize for sustainability.
  • Tradeoff:
    • For target apps, time is not a constraint - i.e. end users willing to have apps that are consistent over 2-12 hours.
    • If faster (pseudo real time) communication is desired - end user may physically travel, or operator may deploy more access points.

Solution

  • Commodity hardware
  • Relies on WiFi and similar open standards which are easy to deploy.
  • Android for end user devices
  • Low end Linux machine as hub element: May be a mobile device in future.
    • Hublet simplifies the deployment's management, operations, billing etc.
  • Android Nearby API being used for recent project (Vectors in Play Store)
Ack: Parts of solution extends the DTN stack from IBR (Institute of Operating Systems and Computer Networks at Technical University of Braunschweig).