Wireless broadband: anti-poverty weapon Archives

Muniwireless: Wireless broadband: anti-poverty weapon Archives: "Matt's case study is the story of a community - a group of people who want to improve their own lives. Their story underscores how inexpensive wireless broadband provides access, not just to cool Internet applications and email, but to a completely different future than the one they used to face everyday. PEC is a strong argument against Pennsylvania House Bill 30 and the efforts of cable/DSL incumbents to block the rapid rollout of municipal wireless networks. Now imagine if all communities had very inexpensive broadband access...."

Telco vs Municipality

From Meshbox interview with Sascha Meinrath:

As for the benefits of community-owned — it’s really about resource extraction — if the community owns the infrastructure, funding to pay for that infrastructure stays in the community; I see that as a good thing. The real question, in my mind, is whether the economies of scale that big telecom has can outperform the localization benefits that municipalities have to provide better, cheaper service. My own contention is that we should let these entities compete — let the users decide. I’m actually not advocating that these systems should only be built by municipalities, but rather that we shouldn’t create barriers to entry for whichever entities want to compete to build these systems.

Meanwhile, Intel is supposedly backing municipalities deploying broadband network infrastructure. With the recent Centrino branding success (and $$$$$$$$), I wouldn't bet against them achieving what they intend to do in terms of mindshare anyday soon.

SecureSmith the Leading Smart Home System in Malaysia

October 22, 2004 -- SUBANG JAYA: Inix Technologies Sdn Bhd said 24,000 units of its homegrown Secure Smith intelligent home automation and security solution have already been supplied or ordered, and expects to receive orders for another 12,000 before the year is out. This brings it to a total of 36,000 units for a solution that was only launched in April, 2003, its chief executive officer Jimmy Tok told reporters ."at Inix Technologies' office here, where he hosted an official visit by Shah Alam mayor Ramli Mahmud earlier this week. 'So far we've shipped 700 units to housing projects in Sungai Petani (Kedah), Penang, the Bandar Setia Alam development (project) in Klang and various others in Sarawak,' he claimed. The company expects to supply up to 2,500 units through its Australia and New Zealand distributor Xtreme Logistics Pty Ltd, and a further 7,500 units to a housing project in Sri Lanka through Pembinaan Wincom, which is building 20,000 homes there.

Secure Smith packages are available in DIY (do-it-yourself) kit form, and for housing developers to install as part of their construction projects. Tok said the company is selling the DIY kits through its more than 30 distributors and dealers nationwide, and has shipped 2,000 DIY units in Malaysia so far.

'We're currently negotiating a deal with a developer of 55,000 homes in Johor, and we've shortlisted some aggressive resellers in Europe and expect to make these deals soon,' he claimed. On Aug 30, Inix Technologies was recognised as the Most Promising Startup in the Venture Accelerate 2003 programme organised by Bursa Malaysia Bhd, McKinsey and Co, Malaysian Institute of Management and the Malaysian Venture Capital Association. The programme's objective is to nurture new entrepreneurs in technology-related areas. Inix Technologies has also acquired a Malaysian and a British investor but Tok declined to identify them nor state how much they had invested.

Skype Credit Expiry Policy Change

Talk time charges are in Euros - Skype is HQ-ed at Luxembourg but the tariff is still at least four times cheaper than what Malaysian celcos and telcos offer at promotional rates.

The 100x100 Project

The 100x100 Project: "Over the past 100 years, the telephone has grown from a rare communications device of the wealthy to a ubiquitous implement that has streamlined the processes of the economy. Similarly, the Internet began 30 years ago as a research network connecting a handful of research centers over extremely expensive long distance data lines. The past 10 years have established the value of data connectivity to the homes of average Americans, with 50% of homes now having a modem connection or better. Today, both economists and policy makers have recognized the economic importance of digital connectivity, and technologists are searching for viable ways to transition the Internet from a network of research centers to a ubiquitous service akin to the telephone.

This rebuild presents an emerging opportunity to create the first nationwide communications infrastructure designed from first principles to bring reliable and private Internet service to consumers and small businesses across the country. The 100x100 project, funded by the National Science Foundation's Information Technology Research program, is working to conduct the basic research and develop the blueprint designs that will guide decision-makers in the construction of a network that is dependable and secure; understandable to users and operators; and both economical and scalable."