Wireless in Unlicensed Band – Guna & Pune (Phase 2)

Year: 2016 – 2018

Funded by: The Ford Foundation

Supporting Partner: ISOC

The Wireless in Unlicensed Band – Phase 2 is an extension of the phase-1 efforts focusing on expanding the connectivity in three blocks of Guna district. The project created a network ecosystem between three blocks – Aron, Chippon and Guna by establishing the hopping point at Chippon and took connectivity at Aron block where we have established the tower at the roof of the building. The tower established at Guna block and Aron block centre are solar-powered. This way, internet access infrastructure has been established to cover three blocks of Guna district. The wireless network has established 150 nodes and connected more than 200 users in Guna block, we are serving range of stakeholders from storage owners, bank kiosks, schools, hotels, tollbridge to individual users. Similarly, in Aron block we are serving bank kiosks, CSC (Common Service Centre), storage owners, individual owners. Soochna Seva Kendra and 5 Soochnapreneurs (trans. Information Entrepreneurs) for providing information services to people. These Soochnapreneurs also providing information services to ASHA workers, teachers, PHC officials, and other community members.

Impact

  1. Established 150 nodes and connected more than 200 users. Thus, it has created 75 access points in remote areas of three blocks to provide last mile connectivity. These access points have computers, internet connectivity and trainer for communities, especially those who are economically disadvantaged, women, and other minority communities. Thus, community members can access information as per need, receive training about how to use computer, internet and retrieve information about their right and services.
  2. The network model in Pune shown that people living in slums need the same level of connectivity as it requires for rural parts of the country
  3. Transformed the Guna wireless network centre as a wireless training centre and conducted 30 rural women on digital literacy, media and information literacy and wireless networking.
  4. On advocacy, Published the policy paper – “Community Networks: Policy & regulatory issues and gaps, an experience from India and contributed to GISW India Chapter titled “Women creating socially sustainable wireless community networks in India”
  5. Developed self-learning manual for barefoot wireless engineers so that they can learn wireless networking by themselves
  6. Increased policy interventions & policy options protecting free spectrum for wireless measured by citation DEF wireless services in policy documents

Target location: Guna, Aron & Chippon (Madhya Pradesh) and Pune (Maharashtra)