I like that initial link
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4304375.stm) is because it's
looking at ways to maximize the limited connections and what is
available of the communications networks. Regular internet
connections are nice, but maybe not necessary. I'm thinking back to
FIDONet, where I used a reader and subscribed to discussions - would
connect for a few minutes and then could read the messages offline..
If a school had only 5 to 15 minutes of telephone service to connect
to the net and download with, it seems like browsing would be
inefficient...but maybe downloading a bunch of entire websites in one
sweep - like the first 10-15 that come up in search results.
It also seems safe to think that while progress will be made in
cellular and satellite, in 10 and 20 years there will still be many
areas that have very limited communications networks...even with a
couple big tech revolutions in the field.
Doug Loss wrote:
I hope some of these can jumpstart your idea, so you don't have to start
from scratch. From what I saw in South Africa earlier this year,
electricity isn't the problem so much as robust communications networks.
The local telephone system isn't reliable enough for regular school
internet connection. Cellular modems and routers are certainly
available, but when a school's *total* yearly operating budget is about
$12,000 US, there's basically no chance of affording the equipment and
operating cost of such a connection. I'd think the cost of satellite
internet would be even higher.