Wireless Africa Roadmap: Difference between revisions

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===What are our Product Offerings===
===What are our Product Offerings===
* Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** Output = Blueprint design, firmware and manual
** Motto = “Mesh as easy to install as radio”
* DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** Output = Firmware and manual
** Motto = “They built a mesh using a download from our website”
* WISP in a box
** Output = Custom OS distribution and manual
** Motto = “I had a wireless business up and running in an hour thanks to WISP in a box”
''Remember we will be contributing to these through partnerships with other people''
===How does the ideal mesh network look===
* Network characteristics
** Auto/self  config / minimal config required
** Scalable
** Adding nodes increases throughput
** Self healing
** Multi-hop communication
** Standardised mesh routing protocol
** Instant re-routing for VoIP
** Auto hierarchy forming (structured mesh)
** Load balancing protocol
** “intelligent  network”
** Self regulating, i.e. (Load balancing, throttling etc)
* Media based network characteristics
** High throughput for video
** High bandwidth, low latency
** VoIP: minimised delay
** Internet: maximum speed
** Low latency for voice
* Energy efficiency
** Low energy consumption
** Load balancing for energy efficiency
** energy aware routing protocol
** Adaptive power usage
** self sustained (own power)
* Services
** Local copies data such as
*** Wikipedia
*** Dictionaries
*** Movies (to make it popular) – even of free movies)
** Real-time (< 100ms)
*** peer-to-peer
*** 1-to-many
** Local proxy servers: for situation when there is no connectivity to the internet
** Support (services)
*** voice
*** video
*** internet
** Qos priorities for voice
** support database applications
** equitable sharing from data sources
** No single point of failure (e.g. Distributed DNS)
** Pre-recorded books (text + voice)
* Look and feel
** Good looking units (design of exterior)
** node equipment: low power, low cost, simple design “One-box”
** Modular units  - indication of faults to enable anybody to repair a node (like photocopier show what to do)
** Any hardware mesh node – standard protocol
** Built-in interface for VoIP, connecting regular phones
** GUI management tools
* Network Management and planning
** Network monitoring tools
** Network Visualization tools
** “Intelligence” via tools (Network support, maintenance and troubleshooting)
* Network capability
** Must support Ipv6
** Support Ipv4 at access points + mesh nodes (LAN)
** Seamless roaming with 3G (4G)
** Support interconnectivity with other networks
* Node Hardware characteristics:
**Easy interfacing
**Easy to install
** Low-cost easy to support or fix
** Easily deployable
** reliable
** provide VoIP
** Easy to join
** Auto config auto update
** environment friendly (RoHS, ...)
** Must be fixable/ expandable by local community
** Environmentally robust/high reliability
** cheap mass production
** simple to build and expand
* Security
** Security is at the edges
** Users are protected from malicious attacks

Revision as of 15:10, 13 July 2007

We had better pay attention to our future, after all it's where we spend the rest of our lives - Albert Einstein

The road mapping process

  • Get synergy on what our product offerings are
  • Define “feature sets” of various versions of product offerings within 3 year horizon
  • Define Development and Research milestones to contribute to these feature sets
  • Define linkages between, research milestones, development milestones and product offering versions
  • Define a set of tasks to reach each of the above milestones
  • Define what we will be doing this year

The roadmap structure that will be followed looks as follows

Roadmap-structure.jpg

Focus is on a 3 year roadmap

These will be done at another stage

  • Skills development roadmap
  • Business model development roadmap
  • Devices roadmap
  • Policy development roadmap
  • 10 year foresighting exercise

Roadmap-horizon.jpg


Our Philosophy and vision

Wa-rings.jpg

Vision: Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy

Our road map so far

Roadmapping.jpg

Workshop 18th May 2007

Ws1-pic1.jpg
Ws1-pic2.jpg
Ws1-pic3.jpg
Ws1-pic4.jpg


Thinking about what we have achieved

Wa-achieved.jpg

What could the future look like in 2017

Future-2017.jpg

What are the questions that need to be answered to connect 450M rural people to the internet

Rm-questions.jpg

Workshop 8th of June 2007

Ws2-pic1.jpg
Ws2-pic2.jpg
Ws2-pic3.jpg
Ws2-pic4.jpg

What are our Product Offerings

  • Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
    • Output = Blueprint design, firmware and manual
    • Motto = “Mesh as easy to install as radio”
  • DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
    • Output = Firmware and manual
    • Motto = “They built a mesh using a download from our website”
  • WISP in a box
    • Output = Custom OS distribution and manual
    • Motto = “I had a wireless business up and running in an hour thanks to WISP in a box”

Remember we will be contributing to these through partnerships with other people

How does the ideal mesh network look

  • Network characteristics
    • Auto/self config / minimal config required
    • Scalable
    • Adding nodes increases throughput
    • Self healing
    • Multi-hop communication
    • Standardised mesh routing protocol
    • Instant re-routing for VoIP
    • Auto hierarchy forming (structured mesh)
    • Load balancing protocol
    • “intelligent network”
    • Self regulating, i.e. (Load balancing, throttling etc)
  • Media based network characteristics
    • High throughput for video
    • High bandwidth, low latency
    • VoIP: minimised delay
    • Internet: maximum speed
    • Low latency for voice
  • Energy efficiency
    • Low energy consumption
    • Load balancing for energy efficiency
    • energy aware routing protocol
    • Adaptive power usage
    • self sustained (own power)
  • Services
    • Local copies data such as
      • Wikipedia
      • Dictionaries
      • Movies (to make it popular) – even of free movies)
    • Real-time (< 100ms)
      • peer-to-peer
      • 1-to-many
    • Local proxy servers: for situation when there is no connectivity to the internet
    • Support (services)
      • voice
      • video
      • internet
    • Qos priorities for voice
    • support database applications
    • equitable sharing from data sources
    • No single point of failure (e.g. Distributed DNS)
    • Pre-recorded books (text + voice)
  • Look and feel
    • Good looking units (design of exterior)
    • node equipment: low power, low cost, simple design “One-box”
    • Modular units - indication of faults to enable anybody to repair a node (like photocopier show what to do)
    • Any hardware mesh node – standard protocol
    • Built-in interface for VoIP, connecting regular phones
    • GUI management tools
  • Network Management and planning
    • Network monitoring tools
    • Network Visualization tools
    • “Intelligence” via tools (Network support, maintenance and troubleshooting)
  • Network capability
    • Must support Ipv6
    • Support Ipv4 at access points + mesh nodes (LAN)
    • Seamless roaming with 3G (4G)
    • Support interconnectivity with other networks
  • Node Hardware characteristics:
    • Easy interfacing
    • Easy to install
    • Low-cost easy to support or fix
    • Easily deployable
    • reliable
    • provide VoIP
    • Easy to join
    • Auto config auto update
    • environment friendly (RoHS, ...)
    • Must be fixable/ expandable by local community
    • Environmentally robust/high reliability
    • cheap mass production
    • simple to build and expand
  • Security
    • Security is at the edges
    • Users are protected from malicious attacks