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MOBILE AD HOC CONNECTIVITY

The DakNet wireless network


takes advantage of the existing
communications and
transportation infrastructure to
distribute digital connectivity to
outlying villages lacking a digital
communications infrastructure.
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DakNet, an ad hoc network that uses
wireless technology to provide
asynchronous digital connectivity.
Developed by MIT Media Lab
Researchers.
Deployed in remote parts of both
India and Cambodia at a cost two
orders of magnitude less than that of
traditional landline solutions. 4
DakNet transmits data over short point-
to-point links between kiosks and portable
storage devices, called mobile access points
(MAPs).
MAP physically transports data among
public kiosks and private communications
devices (as an intranet) and between kiosks
and a hub (for nonreal-time Internet access).
Low-cost WiFi radio transceivers
automatically transfer the data stored in the
MAP at high bandwidth for each point-to-
point connection.
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As the MAP-equipped vehicle
comes within range of a village WiFi-
enabled kiosk, it automatically senses
the wireless connection and then
uploads and downloads tens of
megabytes of data.
When a MAP-equipped vehicle
comes within range of an Internet
access point (the hub), it automatically
synchronizes the data from all the rural
kiosks, using the Internet. 9
Although the data transport provided by DakNet
is not real-time, a significant amount of data can be
moved at once. As a result, it is interesting to note that
physically transporting data from village to village by
this means generally provides a higher data
throughput than other low-bandwidth technologies,
such as telephone modems.
By employing short-distance radio links, DakNet
allows for small low-cost low-power radio devices to be
used.
The use of short-distance radio links also ensures
high-data rates and
does not have the interference problems,
security problems, and maintenance
costs associated with long distance wireless links.
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POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
The store-and-forward wireless
network represented by DakNet can be
used for a wide variety of applications that
require automated low-cost distribution
and collection of information.
Internet/intranet messaging-
This can include e-mail, video/audio messaging,
mobile ecommerce.
Information distribution/broadcasting-
This can include community bulletin boards,
transfer of educational materials, public health
announcements, news, music and video
Broadcasts. 11
Information collection-
This can include collection of environmental sensor
information, voting, census/polling, health records, and land
records.
Rural supply chain management-
By incorporating Global Positioning Systems the DakNet
network can also function as a means of tracking the
movement of vehicles and shipment of goods in a
geographical area.
Information searching, web services-
By incorporating new types of Internet applications that are
designed for non-real-time access, many new web-related
applications can be developed for the rural market.

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Seamless scalability
DakNet provide a seamless method of
upgrading to always-on broadband
connectivity.
Can use the same hardware, software,
and user interface to enjoy real time
information access.
With low-cost terminals and local user-
interface design and applications—
DakNet makes it practical for individual
households and private users to get
connected. 13
DAKNET ECONOMICS
A back-of-the-envelope calculation for DakNet
suggests that a capital investment of $5M could equip
50,000 rural vehicles with a $100 MAP and thereby provide
intermittent broadband connectivity to most of rural India.
This is orders of magnitude lower in cost than current
alternatives for rural communications.

{Capital cost of a DakNet Hub providing connectivity to 12 14


surrounding villages}
Distributing this cost across 12 villages (the
estimated average range for 1 MAP is 6
villages), the cost per-village of DakNet would
be under $500.
This could enable each village kiosk
operator to achieve profitability within one year
of operation.
If capital expenditures for the villages are
assumed by the owner of the Hub, this entity could
achieve positive operating income within 24 months
of operation and cumulative cash flow positive within
36 months of operation. This also factors in the salary
of a Hub manager, rent, and administrative and
marketing expenses.
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DAKNET DEMONSTRATION &
TESTING
A technology demonstration of DakNet has
been performed at Tikawali village in Faridabad,
India in March, 2002.
The network was implemented to
successfully support text, audio, and video
messaging as an intranet between the village
and a Hub located near Ballabgarh.
Further testing of the network performance
was done at 6 villages near Sirsa, India, which
included range and throughput tests for fixed and
mobile wireless access points.
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Continuous Range & Throughput Test
For each village, a compact 3 dbi antenna was
installed on the roof of the kiosk as well as on the roof
of a car vehicle serving as the Mobile Access Point
(MAP).
The maximum range at which the wireless
connection could be established was approximately
400m.
At this distance, the measured data rate was
approximately 0.2 Mb/s increasing to 4 Mb/s at a
distance of 10 meters from the kiosk antenna.
During the approach to the kiosk, the MAP would
typically go in and out of line-of-sight with the kiosk
antenna due to intervening buildings, with 66% line-
of-sight on average. 17
DAKNET IN ACTION
Villages in India and northern Cambodia are
actively using DakNet with good results.
One of DakNet’s earliest deployments was
as an affordable rural connectivity solution for the
Bhoomi e-governance project.
In September 2003, DakNet is implemented
in a remote province of Cambodia.
DakNet is implemented in 20 villages in
Orissa which are abt 75 miles away from
Bhuvaneshwar. People make job searches and
matrimonial searches and also e-shopping

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Access Point
Bhoomi initiative in India
Bhoomi, an initiative to computerize land
records, is recognized as the first national e-
governance initiative in India. Pioneered by
the State Government of Karnataka, Bhoomi
has been successfully implemented at district
headquarters across the state to completely
replace the physical land records system.
A public government bus with a DakNet
MAP is employed to transport land record
requests from each village kiosk to the taluka
server.
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DakNet enabled Public Bus
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A “session” occurs each time the bus comes
within range of a kiosk and the MAP transfers data.
The average length of a session is 2 minutes
and 34 seconds, during which the MAP transfers an
average of 20.9 Mbytes unidirectionally (kiosk to MAP
or MAP to kiosk) and up to twice that amount
bidirectionally (from kiosk to MAP and MAP to kiosk).
The average “goodput” (actual data throughput)
for a session, during which the MAP and kiosk go in
and out of connection because of mobility and
obstructions, is 2.47 Mbps.

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The total cost of the DakNet MAP equipment
used on the bus is $580, which includes
• A custom embedded PC running Linux
with 802.11b wireless card and 512 Mbytes of
compact flash memory;
• A 100-mW amplifier, cabling, mounting
equipment, and a 14-inch omni-directional
antenna;
and
• An uninterruptible power supply powered
by the bus battery.

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E-mail for Cambodian schools
CambodiaSchools.com operates 225 rural schools
throughout Cambodia with funding from private donors
and the World Bank. The aim was to provide students
with Internet access by providing asynchronous
connectivity to the backbone or hub—a satellite dish in
the provincial capital of Ban Lung, which has a 256-
Kbyte per second link. The terrain in northern Cambodia
is so difficult that MAPs are placed on Honda
motorcycles instead of buses. For one particularly
remote area, the MAP is affixed even to an ox cart. The
results of the project, which we dubbed the Internet.
For the first time, students in these Cambodian schools
could send e-mail, request Web pages, and feel
connected to the rest of the world.
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“Internet Village Motomen”
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“Motoman” After 16km Ride Through Swamp…
“OxNet”

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Next Steps: Scaling It Up

DakNet is going to be deployed and


tested in larger implementations with
applications that exploit in broadband
capabilities.
The current R&D focus is on further
lowering the costs of the required and
developing a highly interoperable and
cross platform software module so that
deployment processes can be streamlined.
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