When solar meets wireless

This is the third and final part of an article by Robert Ndlovu on solar power.
In the last instalment we looked at the set-up of Voice Over Internet Protocol and some of the basic requirements. The other elements involved include:
Wages
Naturally, there would be at least two people manning the centre: one to assist and the other for security purposes.
The if’s and how’s have to be worked out by the ICT in liason with the community – that’s out of my scope.
Software
No licence fees are paid as these systems use open source software.
Other
Literally other costs that could have been over looked.
Return On Investment
It would be very essential to look at the return of investment for such a project from a developmental point of view and not a monetary one.
The extent to which this digital initiative will enhance and improve people’s lives has no monetary value that can be attached to it – literally.
With say 100 public users of the communications centre that include teachers, A2 farmers, policemen, nurses, local government and villagers, etc, a fee of US$7 per person per month could recoup a big chunk of the running costs after the first year when usage is high and appreciated.
The funds are available, according to Potraz, so it makes sense that for the first 12 months running costs are built into the budget in advance.
When local people appreciate the strength and power of ICT they won’t hesitate to pay some US$7 per month to access phone, email and internet services!
Way forward
Considering that the most challenging part of such an huge project – funding – is presumably available under control, according to Potraz and the Ministry of ICT, what remains is precise project planning to bring the right technology at a reasonable cost to the targeted population.
This entails doing some pilot runs at a small scale for proof of concept.
Since the ultimate plan is to mass deploy these community communications centres, it makes logical sense to solidly conduct thorough pilot runs before committing millions to buying equipment for mass deployment.
Closing remarks
Successful implementation will require a co-ordinated approach involving close and ongoing partnerships between communities, Government and industry providers.
l Government – through legislative and statutory instruments. Potraz, for example, allocates the scarce resources to areas that have been identified for deployment, with the ministry coming in to actually put together a deployment plan from beginning to end.
Not forgetting to ensure that the national fibre backbone construction to connect to the undersea cables in the Indian Ocean goes to completion.
This is nationally important if the country is to have fast access to the Internet beyond our borders.
l Communities – it is critical to involve the communities who are targeted for rural communications deployments via the existing community structures.
This helps in short-term assimilation of the technology and long-term ownership of the systems.
l Industry – these include service operators who will provide the technology and equipment and other players who will supply different products and services including experts in different technologies referenced in this article.
l Media – both print and electronic news providers play a very crucial role in reporting progress or lack of it in any of these deployments.
Naturally, a varied version of this plan should be adopted for the urban population to avail internet access.
Like using “tower lights” in high-density suburbs as base stations for WiMax and WiFi. Contributions, requests for info, omissions and additions most welcome.
l Robert Ndlovu is an ICT consultant based in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe formerly based in Silicon Valley in California. He writes in his personal capacity and provides limited FREE consultancy to individuals, companies and organisations in Southern Africa via SMS, phone and e-mail.
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