[Conference Report: P@SHA Wireless Rural Connectivity Conference and
Hands-on Workshop Nov 15-16, 2006, Lahore Pakistan]

The massive popularity of wireless networking across the globe has caused computer equipment costs to continually plummet, while equipment capabilities continue to increase. By applying wireless networking technology in rural areas in Pakistan that are badly in need of critical communications infrastructure, more people can be brought online than ever before, in less time and for very little cost. These was the objective of
the recently held P@SHA Wireless Rural Connectivity Conference and Hands-on Workshop Nov 15-16, 2006 held in Lahore at Holiday Inn Hotel by P@SHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association), Punjab Information Technology Board, Cisco Systems Inc, Intel Inc, Ministry of IT&T, FOSSFP: Free and Open Source
Software Foundation of Pakistan and BytesForAll Network South Asia.

The workshop had a strong list of experienced presenters both local and foreign including Jehan Ara (P@SHA), Salman Ansari (SATC), Vickram Crishna (India), Ovais Zaidi (Access Group), Syed Azhar Rizvi (THK-S Technology
Group), Fouad Riaz Bajwa (FOSSFP), Malcolm Matson (OPLAN UK), Jim Forster (Cisco, Inc.), Dr. Aamir Matin (Ex-Chairman PSEB, Country Manager Cisco Pakistan), Naeem (Mobilink) who not only convinced stakeholders that low
cost wireless networking is possible, but also showed how it has made such networks work, and to give you the information and tools one needs to start a network project in any local community in Pakistan.

Jehan Ara introduced the speakers describing that the individuals who each, in their own field, are actively participating in the ever-expanding Internet by pushing its reach farther than ever before. The massive
popularity of wireless networking has caused great cost reduction in equipment while the equipment capabilities continue to sharply increase. By taking advantage of this state of affairs, Pakistani citizens can finally
begin to have a stake in building their own communications infrastructure. This is not only possible, but has already been done and this team intends to provide the information and talk about the tools that are needed to start a network project in our local community.

Malcom in his detailed presentation walked the participants through the history of Telecom and its decentralization and de-regularization to its current state of accessibility by anyone anywhere. Malcom also introduced his organization OPLAN that is helping communities worldwide embrace open
networking solutions for under served communities. Presenting the concept of
open public local access networking, OPLAN is looking forward to funding wireless initiatives in the developing world including Pakistan. Malcom said that the mobile phone and internet users had now become content consumers with content being created by software gurus. These gurus are today’s
generation of young people creating content openly and inclusive but independently irrespective of service providers. This in return promotes the common good. Malcom gave the historical background of things including
disruptive and abundant technologies driving change. The world has seen various revolutions during the last 200 years from the industrial revolution to the information revolution initiated in 1971. Within every revolution, the significant difference was that brand new infrastructures were established providing new means of social and economic prosperity.

Due to the end-to-end networking nature of the Internet, the Telecom revolution has reached a stage where the cost of connectivity and equipment has been reduced considerably with hardware being available at a very low cost for Pakistanis. Where regions are still not connected to the internet
or telephony in Pakistan, low cost rural wireless connectivity could easily be extended to those regions. This facility could be extended in between ranges of one to thirty kilometers. Malcom Matson presented the case for wireless infrastructure that can be built for very little cost compared to
traditional wired alternatives. But building wireless networks is only partly about saving money. By providing people in local communities with cheaper and easier access to information, they will directly benefit from
what the Internet has to offer. The time and effort saved by having access
to the global network of information translates into wealth on a local
scale, as more work can be done in less time and with less effort.

Jim Forster presented how developing world countries have been embracing wireless networking in rural regions around the globe. He presented the key factors that have lead to the success of this technology including
self-realization by communities to improve their conditions themselves and the ease of availability of low cost equipment that can be deployed by using home brewed deployment solutions. Jim also presented the worlds largest community deployed wireless networking examples from countries like Nepal
that extends wireless connectivity within a mountainous region and how the people who deployed the network manage technical support and power generation in a region that has no access to electricity. The presentation
also showed how this example has guided other countries around the globe to take up similar initiatives.

Various panel discussions were carried out during the event creating an interactive discussion environment with the audience. Salman Ansari Ex-Advisor to the Minister of IT&T and CEO SATC presented the state of
Telecom penetration in Pakistan. Salman also revealed that the Government of Pakistan in collaboration with the World Bank, PTA, PSO, Ministry of IT&T, Intel, Allama Iqbal Open University, FOSSFP: Free and Open Source Software Foundation of Pakistan, Ubuntu Pakistan, UNDP-APDIP International Open
Source Network and various Mobile Cellular Operators were preparing to execute the “Telecenters and Community Resource and Information Centers in Pakistan” programme that will be targeting setting up of rural
‘Tele-centers’ in Pakistan under the Universal Service Fund Program. The
report has been completed by SATC and approved by World Bank and the project
execution is to be initiated shortly.

This USF fund is estimated to be at Rupees One Hundred Billion. The Telecenters initiative will connect all disadvantaged and rural regions through various technologies including fiber optics, DVB2 Satellites and
wireless Networking. A key target of the program is to reduce the Digital Divide in Pakistan by extending low-cost computer hardwire running localized Urdu language based Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) within every village in Pakistan. Services at these community resource and information
centers will include computer literacy, PCOs, VOIP, Photocopy and Fax facilities ensuring sustainability of the centres through public-private partnerships promoting entrepreneurship for both gender and youth. The Telecenter initiative in Pakistan will employ wireless networks including
high power Wifi solutions, VSAT, TDMA terminals, DBVS-2 second generation giving priority to bring in broadband into the rural, not for people to surf the internet but to provide services including video conferencing and continuous connectivity. Network meshes of villages will be created to
sustain the networks of continuous connectivity.

Participants of the event expressed their concern that the tall claims of
Telecom services are not available to end users as expected especially localized content is not there. Telephony services with cutting edge technology are still not available.

Putting Wireless Local Loop aside, companies like PTCL, Worldcall, Telecard and others still haven’t put there act together. Citizens of Pakistan are continuously being misguided about bandwidth ranges including 450 MHz and 1900 MHz being mobile phone bandwidths whereas these are only for fixed
phones like CDMA thus this is still a gray area for everyone.

PTCL still unfortunately is a monopoly taken over by another monopoly that
has 550 locations throughout Pakistan equipped with fiber optic that can
provide broadband to rural regions but the government hasn’t been releasing
information on this and the citizens of Pakistan too are not aware of this
fact. Fiber Optic connectivity is extensively being used in 13 cities
already, but regulated by PTCL with harsh pricing and monopoly thus the
citizens and business community cannot make extensive use of this public
infrastructure. The government has to release this infrastructure within low
cost pricing strucutures to the citizens so that the country can widely
benefit from emerging technology particularly low cost VOIP and Internet
access.

Naeem, a representative from Pakistan’s leading cellular operator Orascom
Mobilink detailed the success of his company in terms of developing 20
million users in a period of 12 years. A major issue for any cellular
company is the infrastructure costs, bandwidth availability and extension of
services to remote regions and Mobilink has been performing well within this
area. The power of choice of service provider selection has moved towards
the consumer and consumer do not want to engage in the headache of managing
networks themselves as they want the ease of use. They are willing to give
more price payments for reasonable service charges and still there are
opportunities. We are looking at business models for proliferation of
broadband services as we too want a piece of the pie. Broadband services on
mobile phone and Internet access are a good way to achieve this. For
example, if we extend VOIP, consumers will tend to talk longer, it doesn’t
matter where they are calling, for the same price. People need a one
specific number on their mobiles so that they can be reached anywhere on the
planet.

Most of his comments were similar to the tall claims highlighted by all
mobile operators in the country. In response to his comments, Malcom said
that there was a huge appetite for people to communicate in light of
Mobilink’s customer base and it should now be realized that the huge prices
falling in light of the dropping international connect charges including the
connectivity, still the spectrum coverage is expensive. The fundamental
argument is that there are totally new business models in the market today
with new business technologies available in the hands of customers and
users, because of this trend, cellular and mobile telecom operators are
confused. The concept of centralized management was long ago, now the
digital age rules with extensive software control, fiber optics and
satellites including skills in the hands of users that once were in the
central hands of governments and mobile operators but is now in the hands at
the end or the edge, in the hands of users.

Malcom further analyzed the cellular situation that the model Mobilink was
promoting is that users are not allowed to talk with anyone else without
talking to Mobilink first. Mobilink, other mobile operators and users should
now realize that there is an irreversible wave of communications freedom
available today whereby communities can communicate with each other
deploying wireless networking technology and instead sell Mobile Operators
their own services. Telecom operators worldwide are selling services on
their infrastructure with expecting huge incomes and return from their
investments. The value on the market is based on the assumption that there
is going to be high returns on high sexy investments in the market.
Companies including Yahoo and Google also want to hijack the freedom of
Internet users by preventing the end-to-end networking of the Internet.

Vickram expressed that the use of the word broadband is not sufficient and
it has grown over the past few years. For the rest of the world, the concept
of broadband actually starts at 1 mega bits per second but for countries in
South Asia, 64 kilo bytes per second was considered to be broadband. In
India, 512 kbps costs huge amounts of money. T1s and T2 optic fiber lines
are just around 2mbps starting points. He further expressed that if
broadband was widely made available deploying Wifi networks (point 2 point)
access can be achieved within ranges of 15 kms, 35 miles, 50 km distance
under many circumstances whereas 125 miles access is the world record.

Wireless rural connectivity can be extended in mountain sites to the tower
in the plains. We can get internet access and telephony connections to
people even at very larger distances through wireless repeater and reflector
stations. It was also possible to replicate satellite connectivity models
through wireless networking extending connections from the planes going up
to the mountains and connecting to other regions. Innovations like balloons
can help; vehicles based devices at 5-8km Wifi heights with power generation
stations running on solar, wind or water technologies. In light of this, it
is very disappointing that Telco’s are still thinking about technology in
their control.

Vickram said that there were practical examples from Europe that connected
5000 homes with 3-4 person inhabitants. We are really talking about a
density of a very large rural area, comparable to probably of half of Sindh.
This saved the government of that region 2 million euros that was used in
other areas for improvement of the community. Telecom operators cannot offer
such a service in dispersed areas. This was achieved where 35 Telco’s
refused to provide services in the same area. Same goes for Sweden where
population would be less than the Sahara desert.

Salman Ansari expressed that what if one day Mobilink wakes up to find that
the communities in various regions have connected 25,000 users through
wireless networking enabling localized content running telephony over VOIP.
They would no longer need the mobile operators and might even sell their
user access to mobile operators. This would bring about a huge revolution
destroying the established norms by mobile and telecom operators. They
should now realize the potential of end users and how they can exploit Wifi.

Naeem also discussed that we have looked at the Wifi model and have also
explored redundant models; Wifi is totally a different model. There may be a
need to generate revenues by charging end-users with excessive rates to
ensure development of economies of scale. We are very consumer focused and
we want to meet consumer needs making profits out of that. We have already
covered 25000 villages but to offer connectivity anywhere, we have to assess
what are their needs and what are their income levels. Our strategy is that
we can continue to expand and grow by innovating. We have to realize that
GSM is not a technology, it is an international standards body of mobile
operators and our mission is to provide ease of access to communications.

Malcom expressed that the economies of scale are controlled by elite group
of operators. Economies are made by users and that low cost connectivity is
their basic right. Owais Zaidi expressed that even though Mobile Operators
are focusing on economies of scale but it will eventually become a public
good, eventually commoditized. Users will start finding low cost solution
that enable their communities to become more productive and access improved
communications and telephony services through self deployed wireless
networks.

In another panel discussion, access to localized content in Urdu and
regional languages was discussed. Fouad Riaz Bajwa shared that his team had
introduced localized Linux operating system software in Urdu language both
locally and around the world. This in return will increase access to
computing by users not literate with English language. A significant result
of this contribution is the Telecenters initiative that will deploy this
technology taking Information and Communication Technologies to all corners
of the country. He further detailed that now they were set for producing
Linux in Sindhi, Pashto and Punjabi. The most significant output of FOSSFP:
Free and Open Source Software Foundation of Pakistan is providing access to
Free and Open Source Software to all citizens of Pakistan as an effort to
combat the prevailing software piracy in the Pakistan.

Syed Azhar Rizwi, upcoming President of P@SHA shared that his organization
and its partners will be extending Wireless Rural Connectivity initiatives
to all corners of the country. P@SHA will initially be funding these
initiatives to be carried out through Public and Private sector
multi-stakeholder partnerships. A key focus of this initiative will be
providing localized language content to users specific to their communities
while opening up the world of internet and telephony to the under
privileged.

Owais also introduced the entrepreneurial model through which such services
will be extend to all corners of the countries. Communities will be able to
develop and finance their wireless networking initiatives on an ongoing
basis through various sustainable models. These networks have the power to
grow and replicate thus forming business ventures that can facilitate
communities to join in through various business models. All of the
stakeholders will be the owners of their networking ensuring its growth and
sustainability. we are registering all interested public and private sector
organizations and will soon be launching pilot projects to show the citizens
of Pakistan how they can extensively benefit from Rural Wireless Networking
Technology and improve the conditions of their rural or low-income
communities.

During the second day, a workshop was organized presenting wireless
networking and community radio examples demonstrated by Vickram Chrishna and
Jim Forster. Vickram used very basic low cost equipment to build home brewed
community radio transmitters and practically demonstrated transmissions to a
simple handheld radio set. Similarly, Jim Forster set up a point to point
wireless network demonstrating how low cost equipment can be utilized to set
up wireless networks in rural regions.

The workshop was followed by the revealing of Pakistan’s first computing
device called Sirius by Five Rivers Technologies Lahore and Clear Cube USA.
Sirius is an Ultra-customizable, low-cost Handheld computer that makes use
of multiple, low consumption yet powerful processors, a 128×64 monochrome
backlit LCD screen, rechargeable batteries, a communications capability to
interface with other computers (PCs included), cell phones and peripherals,
zero moving parts and a full QWERTY keyboard. The device form factor lies
somewhere between a PDA and a sub notebook. Sirius features low-cost,
flexible, powerful open platform for mobile solutions using a locally
developed AlephOS operating system. Sirius provides graphical user
interfaces supporting both English and Urdu, serial communication with PCs
or peripherals.

Sirius can be used to access Electronic books, set-up study sessions, review
for exams, E-Schooling for remote areas as well as applied to numerous
Industrial applications. The inventor of Sirius Amir Hussain explained to
the audience that its price could be further reduced from US$150 to Rs. 2000
per set if a large quantity of the device was ordered for production and use
by the disadvantaged citizens of Pakistan within rural communities if the
government was interested in extend universal access to citizens. Amir also
showed the audience a low-cost GPS device built in to a simple low-cost
model of a Nokia mobile phone handset running Google Earth Maps. He also
explained that within Rs.2000-5000, Pakistanis could have access to a GPS
device that would allow them to navigate throughout Pakistan through a
graphical mobile phone user interface.

Various speakers of the workshop took great interest in the Sirius Computer
and GPS Mobile Phone device. Salman Ansari expressed that the Government of
Pakistan could possibly make great use of these innovations and utilize
these devices for providing universal access and digital education to its
citizens. Malcom Matson also expressed his interest that if this technology
was made available under Free and Open Source Software FOSS, there would be
many organizations interested in funding the further development and
innovation of Sirius and possibly including his own organization OPLAN.

Fouad Riaz Bajwa expressed his concern that the Sirius should not become an
example like the Indian Simputer and that steps should be taken by both the
Government of Pakistan and Civil Society to promote improvement and wide
scale usage of the device in both Urban and Rural regions of Pakistan. Fouad
extended the support of his Free and Open Source Software community to
promote steps to create an Open Sirius open source community that would
improve both the design and develop a compact Linux operating system for
Sirius however this would require Sirius owners to open up their hardware
design innovations and software source code for further improvement.

The conference imparted knowledge to a very diverse audience from all
sectors of society. The event was ended by P@SHA registering various NGOs,
Universities and organizations interested in extending Wireless Networking
to the rural regions of Pakistan. P@SHA will be extending a Wireless
Networking and Connectivity initiative to all corners of the country and
will be initially funding equipment and deployments in the regions of Sindh,
Sargodha, Lahore and so forth. The event was attended by various officials
of the Government, Software companies, and Telecom companies, ISPs,
Students, NGOs, Community Based Organizations and Media Organizations.
Participants also received gifts from P@SHA as well as Free and Open Source
Software Ubuntu Linux CDs and information brochures by the Ubuntu Pakistan
Team.

The participants of the conference and workshop extended their appreciation
in receiving first hand knowledge about wireless networking and community
radio. They also expressed concern that the Government of Pakistan should
extend Community Radio licenses to communities and NGO’s as has been
recently legislated and allowed by neighboring country India. This would
help in extending wireless networking and community radio to rural and
disadvantaged regions in all corners of the country promoting universal
access, telemedicine, e-education and digital inclusion.

The event ended with an ending note by Jehan Ara that soon P@SHA and its
various partners will carry out further activities throughout the country
promoting such initiatives that extend various emerging technologies for the
benefit of the citizens of Pakistan.

–Fouad Riaz Bajwa For BytesForAll Network South Asia –