Projects

In the last two years, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) with the support from Ford Foundation initiated the project “Wireless in Unlicensed Band [Empowering Communities through Open Media Access]” in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, where there is a very large population of schedule tribes belonging to Bheel and Sahariya tribal communities. The project primarily aimed at making access to Internet feasible for the remote living population expecting that access will provide rights, opportunity and empowerment. The project also recommended on having block-level ISP provider that can be managed, operated and sustained by community itself.  Additionally, the project opened up possibilities at many level of the ecosystems of:

• Internet Service Provision (ISP), and how it has limitations in connecting people living at the last mile;
• Spectrum, and how unlicensed spectrum could be used to benefit the communities across the country, especially in remote, hilly, and backward areas;
• Entrepreneurship, and how small scale business with sustainability can offer Rural Internet Services to rural households, Panchayats, grassroots NGOs, and people in backward districts of India;
• Rural digital contents and services, and how such services could be delivered on the doorsteps of the people;
• Local governance, and how governance at the Panchayat, Village and Block level could achieve greater responsibility, accountability, and impact;

Wireless in Unlicensed Band – Guna project provided internet connectivity to more than 100 nodes. The network connected wide range of users from SBI Kiosk, Toll Bridge, Petrol Pump, institutions, schools, nursing schools, cyber cafes; shop owners to individuals. The project has not only empowered local communities how to use internet connectivity in their daily activities but also trained local youth on setting up and managing the network.

In the last two years, the project has shown an immense potential as an independent entity like a social enterprising model having sustainability approach because of –

• Created enough user-base demand on the use of connectivity and its importance in their lives
• Created enough capacity among local youth to manage and run the network
• Trained local human resource to establish and manage the services
• Having enough demand for user-need-driven services
• Providing customized services to make it sustainable

Due to the following reasons, in the last two years, the project is now transformed as a social enterprise which can be worked out as a separate entity.

Transformation towards Social Enterprising Model
Understanding the essence of wireless technology and its social enterprising model, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) has stepped to make a separate entity, named “VILLAGES OF INDIA NETWORK (VOIN) PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY” (herein after reffered as “VOIN”) that will provide internet connectivity services using low-cost wireless network. VOIN will adopt community-based approach having services on the basis of users’ demand and need with qualitative customer-care service. VOIN will also strengthen the ongoing activities of the Wireless in Unlicensed Band – Guna project specifically focusing on connecting 3 blocks of Guna district. VOIN will create a network ecosystem by connecting 250 schools and 100 primary health centres located in 3 blocks of Guna district. VOIN will emphasize on modeling Rural Internet Provision with sustainability approach and do strategic advocacy to create the environment of access for all in remote areas where regulatory and business environment is conducive for even the smallest of the entrepreneurs to provide Internet access to rural household.

To make the network ecosystem, VOIN will further look at providing connectivity in education and health sector.  In Guna district there are 522 schools and 141 health centres.

VOIN will approach to connect schools (specifically primary and middle schools) and public health centres and other individuals in 3 blocks of Guna district.

The ecosystem will help in analyzing the need of connectivity, challenges, kind of connectivity required, and other parameters of connectivity. Based on the existing situation, needs and demand, the network will be made available.

Objective 2:  Capacity Building & Skill Development

The Phase I of the project empowered local youth on wireless set-up and management through Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes , provided digital literacy skills to use internet for their daily activities and developed their capacities on usage of wireless network and services. These workshops also focused on ethics and code of conduct in internet usage. VOIN will further strengthening the ongoing activities of the Wireless in Unlicensed Band – Guna in terms of:

• Providing training on wireless technology, set-up and management of wireless infrastructure to manage the extended Guna Wireless Network
• Digital literacy skills so that community members can access their information using wireless network
• User community workshops on usage of wireless network and services

Objective3: Information Dissemination around Internet & Telecom Regulatory and Policy Environment
To make a clear strategy as “how to become a community oriented ISP”, the programme advocated towards non-profit organizations can too become rural ISP and running the wireless network as rural ISP can be sustainable social business venture by providing internet as a service in its first phase. However, it has been proposed to become rural ISP, there is also need to understand policy and regulatory issues, do advocacy with telecom stakeholders to make them understand the need of rural ISP for providing the last mile connectivity and to make the network sustainable and viable. VOIN as a separate entity will take further efforts across

• Developing case of an enterprise on the basis of technical, financial and services viability;
• Developing advocacy guidelines based on regulatory and policy issues around telecom, equipments, spectrum, policy, legal and governance;
• Engaging with existing ISPs for possible partnerships to work with them as their last mile connectivity providers;
• Engaging with department of telecom for all relevant regulatory issues;
• Engage with all stakeholders in the ISP and telecom space for making the last mile connectivity possible, viable and sustainable. Besides the activity, there would be a document that will elaborate on the roles of various stakeholders and how would they be relevant and why they should engage

Activity 1: Deployment of Wireless Network in 3 blocks of Guna District

• Baseline Survey of Schools and Health Centres to understand the status of connectivity, need of connectivity, and socio-economic indicators survey, infrastructure survey, project installation survey, mapping & analysis
• Put an Internet Access Infrastructure to cover the entire Block in such a way that it connects all;
• Increase the reach of Guna Network and connect 100 health centres and 250 schools (specifically focusing on primary and middle schools), other enterprise in 3 blocks of Guna District. Through this way, the project will be establishing over 350 access nodes.
• Create a network ecosystem by giving connectivity to schools and health centres. This ecosystem will develop a sustainable business model by providing user need-based connectivity.

Activity 2: Capacity Building & Skill Development

• Provide 5 Training of Trainers (ToT) programme specifically for local youth to maintain the network which is deployed at schools and health centres.
• Establish capacity of local trained engineers and resource persons to establish, implement, run and maintain the Wireless Rural Internet through the community or cooperative;
• Provide 50 community based capacity building on usage of wireless network and services. These workshops also focused on ethics and code of conduct in internet usage
• Community based training programmes on digital literacy so that they use wireless network for accessing information for their daily activities
• Develop a database of all relevant services available education and health and make them available in all possible digital format;
• Enable Guna Centre with information-based services that are catering specifically to Right to Education and Access to Public Health Schemes.
• Guna centre will provide training or do community broadcasting on educational and health related information and services. This will be broadcasted in form of video. For example – centre will provide student-aid learning, teaching-aid material from Khan Academy and other vocational courses. Using various infotainment based videos (such as hygiene, hand-wash, how to maintain health, etc) for providing capacity and building programmes or community awareness programmes.

Activity 3: Information Dissemination for Telecom Regulatory and Policy Environment

• On the basis of Wireless in Unlicensed Band – Guna programme, prepare the business feasibility report. The feasibility report should have enough evidence that there is scope of running the wireless network as rural ISP and would be sustainable as a social business venture providing internet as a service;
• Identify all the technical, regulatory, policy hurdles at permission level to become ISP license holder.
• Mapping of policy hurdles that are making internet inaccessible and also hard to be available universally, and on demand;
• Do advocacy with telecom stakeholders – on the need of block level ISP provider and then taking the last connectivity after BTS (base station);
• Make advocacy document and work towards better policy environment for the use of spectrum as well as provision of Internet licenses at the Block level;
• Advocacy for making it mandatory for national and state level ISPs to have compulsory percentage of rural population to provide connectivity; efficient SACFA clearance and enabling USO Fund to be opened for NGOs to connect rural India
• The advocacy activities will include:
  • One Briefing  paper on understanding technical, regulatory, policy hurdles at permission level to become ISP license holder
  • One Issue Paper on mapping of policy hurdles that are making internet inaccessible and also hard to be available universally, and on demand;
  • One White Paper towards better policy environment for the use of spectrum as well as provision of Internet licenses at the Block level
  • Compilation of case-studies who are impacted by the outreach of network
  • Organize three Roundtable/ Workshop with specific focus on:
    • Telecom Players on understanding why Rural ISPs are required to provide the last mile connectivity
    • Regulatory bodies on legal issues and making SACFA clearance easy
    • Telecom Department (DOT), BBNL and USOF advocating towards USO Fund to be opened for NGOs for providing the last mile connectivity
  • Organize two National Level Consultations 2015 and 2016

• Addressing the issue of the last mile connectivity
• Proliferating internet access in the underserved communities of Guna
• Addressing how unlicensed spectrum could be used to benefit the communities across the country, especially in remote, hilly, and backward areas;
• Entrepreneurship, and how small scale business with sustainability can offer Rural Internet Services to rural households, Panchayats, grassroots NGOs, and people in backward districts of India;
• Rural digital contents and services, and how such services could be delivered on the doorsteps of the people;
• Address the issue of capacity among communities and to create enough capacity among local youth to manage and run the network

• Analytical report to understand the status of connectivity, need of connectivity, and socio-economic indicators survey, infrastructure survey of schools and health centres
• Extension of Guna network covering 350 nodes specifically focusing on 250 schools,  100 health centres and other connections in 3 blocks of Guna District
• Develop a sustainable and viable business model by providing user need-based connectivity.

B. Capacity Building & Skill Development

• Local trained engineers and resource persons to establish, implement, run and maintain the Wireless Rural Internet through the community or cooperative;
• Digital literacy programmes to empower communities on the use of wireless network for accessing information for their daily activities.
• 50 community-based workshops to reach out 1250 user trainees from the community (25 users per workshop) towards on usage of wireless network and services. These workshops also focused on ethics and code of conduct in internet usage
• Providing value-added services in form audio and visual format to community members to make them understand what kind of services available in Education & Health
• Integrating Access Services at Guna and Aron Wireless Network Centre
• Develop a database of all relevant services available education and health and make them available in all possible digital format;

3. Information Dissemination for Telecom Regulatory and Policy Environment

• Mapping of policy hurdles that are making internet inaccessible and also hard to be available universally, and on demand;
• Advocacy with telecom stakeholders – on the need of block level ISP provider and then taking the last connectivity after BTS (base station);
• Make advocacy document and work towards better policy environment for the use of spectrum as well as provision of Internet licenses at the Block level;
• Advocacy for making it mandatory for national and state level ISPs to have compulsory percentage of rural population to provide connectivity; efficient SACFA clearance and enabling USO Fund to be opened for NGOs to connect rural India
• One Briefing  paper on understanding technical, regulatory, policy hurdles at permission level to become ISP license holder
• One Issue Paper on mapping of policy hurdles that are making internet inaccessible and also hard to be available universally, and on demand;
• One White Paper towards better policy environment for the use of spectrum as well as provision of Internet licenses at the Block level
• Case-let Report on the success stories of the network and how it has created community-based “Access to All” model using low-cost wireless network

• Quantity & quality of wireless service access, measured by numbers of users, usage diversification, speed of access
• Expansion of Guna network covering 350 nodes specifically focusing on 250 schools,  100 health centres and other connections in 3 blocks of Guna District
• Scale & number of community participation; number of users including tribal locals capable to use wireless access infrastructure & facilities for self-development; positive response & participation of the local communities including tribal community
• Increased policy interventions & policy options protecting free spectrum for wireless measured by citation VOIN wireless services in policy documents
• Increased national dialogue & awareness on wireless technologies measured by media coverage; participation in events & number of spin offs by government & other organisations
• Create local trained engineers and resource persons to establish, implement, run and maintain the Wireless Rural Internet through the community or cooperative