Information Society Innovation Fund
ENRD Nepal has implemented an Internet broadband wireless network connecting more then 50 mountain villages, located far from the city where basic services such as transportation, communication, and primary health services are not available. The network offers services such as VoIP, tele-education, and tele-health to the communities living in the mountainous western region of Nepal.
Most of the wireless relay stations sit higher than 3,000 metres altitude and wireless radios hang in tall trees to pass the signal from one wireless radio to other. Herdsman, shepherds, and yak farmers living in those areas have being responsible for their maintenance. These people have low education levels, and they have difficulty understanding English.
Additional support from grants has allowed the network to be updated and expanded. This has resulted in better connectivity and wider coverage area in Nepal’s high altitudes areas.
Administration and troubleshooting training are key elements in a reliable network, in terms of keeping the wireless network up-to-date and maintaining a service level of zero down time for maintenance. Basic problems related to Internet Protocol and IP Addressing issues (DNS, DHCP, NAT etc); IP Routing issues and Wireless Frequency and signaling issues can bring down an entire village’s network. With adequate training, operators will able to understand the problems, and then implement appropriate solutions.
Operators who are looking after relay stations have limited knowledge of English and therefore cannot understand errors reported or generated by the equipment around their stations. At the same time, technical experts from the city have difficulties accessing the relay stations to fix any problems. These areas are too remote, and the altitude affects them so badly they need days to adapt to the lack of oxygen. Most people experience altitude sickness symptoms.
The project will produce a localized support kit, which includes an interactive troubleshooting manual for wireless networking printed in the local language. The kit also includes interactive training sessions addressed to community members in charge of the maintenance and operation of the network, so they can assist with troubleshooting. The support kits also enable local operators to explain technical problems to remote assistants. This new capacity will increase Quality of Service (QoS) and technical independence while decreasing administrative costs. The project will cover 15 centres located in five districts of Nepal (Makwanpur, Kaski, Parbat, Myagdi, and Mustang) where the Nepal wireless project has been deployed.
A volunteer schoolteacher, Mr. Mahabir Pun, has dreamed of connecting Himanchal High School to an Internet connection available from the nearest city of Pokhara. The village (and the school) had no electricity, phone line, or computers. With the help of foreign volunteers and local villagers, Mr. Pun worked step-by-step, installing a micro-hydro power station and collecting old computer parts to be assembled into usable equipment. Five villages were connected in 2003; since then, the wireless broadband network has grown to cover around 50 villages.
E-Network Research and Development (ENRD) is an NGO established in 2004 to empower rural communities through the strategic use of ICTs to deliver social services and provide equitable access to opportunities. ENRD coordinates the efforts of local volunteers, along with national and international experts acting in support of this initiative, from different areas of knowledge to keep the Nepal wireless networking project (NWP) in operation. ENRD frequently organizes training programs for the villagers, operators, and teachers in the networked area. Training subjects include computer hardware, networking, and ICT literacy.
Other projects ENRD have been working on are:
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