(A Road to Universal Broadband Connectivity)

Presented By: Harika.K

Introduction Why Daknet First Mile Solutions Wireless Catalyst Daknet Architecture How DaknetWorks Challenges & Lessons Learned Features Of Daknet Conclusion

Daknet, an ad hoc network uses wireless technology to provide digital connectivity. Daknet takes advantages of the existing transportation and communication infrastructure to provide digital connectivity. DakNet is an internet service based on the technology from First Mile Solutions (FMS), which was spun-off from an idea, known as DonkeyNet. FMS is based in Cambridge, MA and offers its Wi-Fi based technology to the rural population in developing countries such as India and Cambodia (contd)

Real time communications need large capital investment and hence high level of user adoption to receiver costs Technologies like store- and forward or asynchronous modes of communication can be significantly lower in cost and do not necessarily sacrifice the functionality required to deliver valuable user services. To mobilize end-user market creation, a separate organization, known as United Villages (UV), was created by the founders of FMS. The purpose behind the creation of UV was to develop for-profit rural internet service providers using FMS technology.

FMS and United Villages merged in 2003 and an operating company, known as United Villages Network Private Limited

Real time communications need large capital investment and hence high level of user adoption to receiver costs. The average villager cannot even afford a personnel communications device such as a telephone or computer. Studies show that the current market for successful rural Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services does not appear to rely on real-time connectivity, but rather on affordability and basic interactivity Technologies like storeand forward or asynchronous modes of communication can be significantly lower in cost and do not necessarily sacrifice the functionality required to deliver valuable user services. In addition to non real-time applications such as e-mail and voice messaging

First Mile Solutions (FMS) specifically tackles the problems of high cost and limited access through its Village Area Network technology which includes DakNet, a novel, low- cost technology.1 0 DakNet integrates inexpensive Customer Off- The- Shelf (COTS) hardware components, open- source software, and FMSs proprietary software to create an asynchronous Internet hub and spoke system. DakNet, they believed, could overcome these deficiencies and provide a glimpse into the market opportunities that exist in serving people living in rural and remote areas (contd)

This concept, known as the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) business model, was popularized by C.K. Prahalad, Al Hammond (Prahalad, Hammond, 2004), and Stuart Hart. The primary DakNet pilot in India was with Bhoomi, an eGovernance initiative established by the Indian State Government of Karnataka to computerize all land records in Karnataka. Armed with these initial proofs of concept, Hasson returned to Boston and was contacted by Bernie Krisher from American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief Fund (AAfC/JRF) to deploy their solution for rural schools in Cambodia.

Advances in the IEEE 802 standards have led to huge commercial success and low pricing for broadband networks. These techniques can provide broadband access to even the most remote areas at low price. Important considerations in a WLAN are

Security: In a WLAN, access is not limited to the

wired PCs but it is also open to all the wireless network devices, making it for a hacker to easily breach the security of that network.

Reach: WLAN should have optimum coverage and

performance for mobile users to seamlessly roam in the wireless network

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Interference: Minimize the interference and

obstruction by designing the wireless network with proper placement of wireless devices.

Interoperability: Choose a wireless technology

standard that would make the WLAN a truly interoperable network with devices from different vendors integrated into the same. connection in the enterprise network

Reliability: WLAN should provide reliable network Manageability: A manageable WLAN allows network

administrators to manage, make changes and troubleshoot problems with fewer hassles. Wireless data networks based on the IEEE 802.11 or wifi standard are perhaps the most promising of the wireless technologies. Features of wifi include ease of setup, use and maintenance, relatively high bandwidth; and relatively low cost for both users and providers.
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Wi-Fi refers to a set of high frequency wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies more specifically referred to as 802.11a 802.11b and 802.11g. These standards are universally in use around the globe, and allow users that have a Wi- Fi capable device, like a laptop or PDA, to connect anywhere there is a Wi-Fi access point that is available. The three standards that are refered to signify the speed of the connection they are capable of producing. 802.11b ( which transmits at 11 Megabits per Second ) is the most common, although the faster Wi-Fi standards are quickly replacing it. Across the board, all of these Wi-Fi standards are fast enough to generally allow a broadband connection. Wi-Fi is an emerging technology that will likely be as common as electrical outlets and phone lines within a few years. Wi-Fi adds tremendous levels of convenience and increased productivity for workers whose offices are equipped with Wi-Fi, as well as travelers that can increasingly access Wi-Fi in airports, coffee shops, and hotels around world.

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The main parts of daknet architecture are 1) Mobile access point 2) Hub 3) Kiosk
1)

Mobile Access Point:

Daknet offers data to be transmitted over short point-to-point links. It combines physical and wireless data transport to enable high-bandwidth intranet and internet connectivity among kiosks (public computers) and between kiosks and hubs (contd)
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Mobile Access Point is mounted on and powered by a bus or motorcycle, or even a bicycle with a small generator. MAPs are installed on vehicles that normally pass by each village to provide store-and-forward connectivity. MAP equipment used on the bus includes, a custom embedded PC running Linux with 802.11b wireless card and 512 Mbytes of compact flash memory. A 100-mW amplifier, cabling, mounting equipment, and a 14-in Omni directional antenna. an uninterruptible power supply powered by the bus battery. The total cost of the Daknet MAP equipment used on the bus is $580.A session occurs each time the bus comes within range of a kiosk and MAP transfers data. The speed of the connection between the access point and the kiosk or hub varies in each case. But on average, they can move about 21Mb or 42 Mb bidirectional per session. The average good put or actual throughput for a session, during which the MAP and kiosk go in and out of connection because of mobility and obstructions, is 2.3Mbps. Omni directional antennas are uses on the bus and either directional or Omni directional antennas are located at each of the kiosks or hubs

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The above figure illustrates the Daknet concept that has been applied in real time. Instead of relaying information over long distances which would be expensive and consume more power, Daknet makes use of short point -to-point links to transmit data between the Kiosks in each village and portable storage devices call Mobile Access Points (MAP). Mounted on and powered by a bus, a motorcycle, or even a bicycle with a small generator, a MAP physically transports data among public kiosks and private communications devices (as an intranet) and between kiosks and a hub (for nonreal- time Internet access). Low-cost WiFi radio transceivers automatically transfer the data stored in the MAP at high bandwidth for each point-to-point connection

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A simple store-and-forward WiFi system, using a government bus as a central linkage. The bus contains a simple WiFi installation and server, and when in range of one of the outlying information kiosks it synchronizes data for later processing.

Daknet has thus functions: As the MAP equipped vehicle comes within the range of a village Wi-Fi enabled kiosk it automatically senses the wireless connection and uploads and downloads tens of mega bytes of data.
As it comes in the range of Internet access points (the hub) it automatically synchronizes the data from kiosks using the Internet. These steps repeat or all the vehicles carrying MAP, thus providing a low cost wireless network and seamless communication infrastructure. Even a single vehicle passing by a village is sufficient to carry the entire daily information. The connection quality is also high.
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Daknet Architecture

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DakNet offers an affordable and complete connectivity package, including:

Wireless Hardware (wireless transceiver and antennas) Networking Software Server and cache Software Custom applications, including email, audio/video messaging, and asynchronous Internet searching and browsing API enabling organizations to easily integrate DakNet with their existing applications

1. 2. 3. 4.

5.

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Figure: DakNet store-and-forward drive-by wifi model

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FMS initial deployments have revealed many challenges, from actual deployment of the technology to penetrating the BOP market. The following section highlights several of those challenges. 1. Determining actual ICT demand from the end-user market. 2. Developing locally relevant applications to generate demand for DakNet. 3. Building a strong ecosystem of partnerships. 4. Managing relationships with clients and partners 5. Infrastructure, transportation, and weather- related barriers. 6. Limited demand from institutional clients.

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Adoption of DakNet technology will depend heavily on the usefulness and relevance of related applications and the villagers ability to use them despite low levels of education and literacy. Since FMS and UV have made a conscious decision to focus on creating a small set of core tools instead of creating many different applications. Securing locally relevant applications will be important because different countries have different needs and use different languages. In their initial stages, FMS and UV are considering running pilot projects with established e- kiosk operators running successful applications.

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Daknets low deployment cost and enthusiastic reception by rural users has motivated dozens of inquiries for further deployments. This provides millions of people their first possibility for digital connectivity. Increasing connectivity is the most reliable way to encourage economic growth. The larger goal is to shift the policy focus of the Governments universal service obligation funds from wireless village telephones to wireless ad-hoc networking. The shift will probable require formal assessment for user satisfaction, resulting economic growth and system reliability
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