The First Model e-Village in Sri Lanka
Paves the Way for 24-Hour
Connectivity in Other Rural
Communities
Sri Lanka's first outdoor wireless computer network is now up and running.
Surprisingly, it is not in Colombo. It is not even in any of the other key
places. It was installed in Mahavilachchiya, a little known village, 40 km from
the nearest town Anuradhapura, and surrounded three sides by the Vilpattu
jungle.
A student in the rural areas of Sri Lanka has to pay an average of Rs. 150 for
30 minutes as Internet surfing charges mainly because service is scarce in
these areas. This amount does not include transportation costs and the time
spent to reach the Internet café. High capital and operating costs have
limited Internet access in rural Sri Lanka.
In 2005, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of
Sri Lanka, Horizon Lanka Foundation and Enterprise Technology (Pvt) Ltd
was awarded a grant by the Pan Asia ICT R&D Grants Programme to develop
a low-cost wireless broadband architecture for providing high-speed Internet
access services in Mahavilachchiya, Sri Lanka.
On 4 November 2006, Mahavilachchiya, a little known village 40km from the
nearest town of Anuradhapura and surrounded three sides by the Vilpattu
jungle with no terrestrial or mobile phone networks, became the first village
in Sri Lanka with 24-hour Internet access. Over 400 rural students also
received ICT education as part of the project.
Mahavilachchiya now has more than 50 PCs and a sophisticated multimedia
lab. The majority of the computers are located at the houses of the children
attending the Horizon Lanka Academy. These PCs are now connected by
using the "Mesh Wireless Technology"giving families direct Internet and email
facilities.
Mesh networking comprises of a series of smart digital routers (Meshboxes)
that are designed to carry high performance wireless Internet over a wide
area using infrared or radio waves. Mesh networking is unique because
instead of having a central server which determines how data is passed
between computers, the mesh creates a network of equals, so individual
computers find the best way to communicate with each other. All the
computers are connected together to form a resilient network in such a way
that the more devices there are on a network, the more routes there are
through it. It can grow organically and will automatically organize itself. The
ad hoc nature of the mesh makes it easy to start small and expand where
necessary, without the complex reprogramming involved with adding to a
traditional, top-down network. If one node were to fail, the network will
automatically redirect data through an alternative route.
This unique project sends an important message to marginal communities all
over the world. ICTA’s Programme Manager – eSociety Development
Initiative, Chitranganie Mubarak commented, “Mahavilachchiya is an
outstanding example of promoting inclusion through the use of ICTs. This
latest project, which has given Internet access to poor rural families through
a mesh network, will certainly be an impetus to other villages.”
At the launch of the e-Village, Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the
President of Sri Lanka and Chairman, Telecommunications Regulatory
Commission commented that it is the government’s intention to launch
similar projects in another 300 villages in remote areas of Sri Lanka.
In a related development on 16 November 2006 when Hon. Mahinda
Rajapakse, President of Sri Lanka, delivered the annual budget speech in his
capacity as the Minister of Finance, proposed to allocate USD 1 million in the
year 2007 for the implementation of e-Villages replicating the
Mahavilachchiya project. It is expected that international donors and private
sector will make further contributions.
The ICT R&D Grants Programme is directed at encouraging original and
innovative information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to
development problems. Grants for suitable research and development (R&D)
projects are awarded to Asia-Pacific-based organizations on a competitive
basis.
It is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme’s AsiaPacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP), the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC), of Canada, and the Asia
Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC). The Programme is administered
by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) and is
overseen by a Committee established by all Programme partners.
Source: UNDP Regional Center Bankog (Tahailand)