---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: L. Aaron Kaplan <aaron@lo-res.org> Date: Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 07:19 Subject: Fwd: [wsfii-discuss] [TIER] The alternative Internet, WiFi based (Project Kleinrock) To: change-owner@change.washington.edu Hi! The original mail from Chris Wilson went to change@change.washington.edu as well as WSFII. I am subscribed to WSFII but I believe my answer can be also valuable for change@change.washington.edu. Would you be so kind and forward my answer as well? Thanks. Aaron. Begin forwarded message: From: "L. Aaron Kaplan" <aaron@lo-res.org> Date: July 23, 2011 4:09:18 PM GMT+06:00 To: Discuss list on the World Summit on Free Information Infrastructure <wsfii-discuss@lists.okfn.org>, Chris Wilson <chris@aptivate.org> Cc: ashish makani <ashish.makani@gmail.com>, TIER <tier@tier.cs.berkeley.edu>, change <change@change.washington.edu> Subject: Re: [wsfii-discuss] [TIER] The alternative Internet, WiFi based (Project Kleinrock) Chris, in Austria (Funkfeuer.at) we are slowly expanding to a nationwide mesh network. There are tests underway to create a cross country (Slovenia-Austria, Slovenia-Croatia) connection. The Ham people already have something like this running - for emergency cases: http://wiki.oevsv.at/index.php/Kategorie:Digitaler_Backbone (red links are working links, green under construction and blue planned ones) So - to be precise - for a country wide backbone network with Wi-Fi - yes, this is totally doable. But as Alexander already wrote, not with self made antennas (they are just simply cheaper to buy and more stable and they have a better quality than FabFi style antennas). Other issues might be more important. For example: stable electricity. In case you need further information on how we plan links and how we can create a country wide network, feel free to contact me. Aaron. On Jul 20, 2011, at 5:56 PM, Chris Wilson wrote: Hi all, Related to this, I've been asked to comment about a proposed project to create a free, open source, open hardware, country-wide wireless network infrastructure in Madagascar using FabFi. Does anyone have any thoughts about the feasibility of this (my gut feeling is "infeasible"), know of anyone who has succeeded or failed in any such project before, or have any thoughts about or experience with FabFi? Cheers, Chris. -- Aptivate | http://www.aptivate.org | Phone: +44 1223 760887 The Humanitarian Centre, Fenner's, Gresham Road, Cambridge CB1 2ES Aptivate is a not-for-profit company registered in England and Wales with company number 04980791.