[Server-devel] Facebook's new remote hotspot / "network in a box"

[Adam Holt]

"part of the attraction of OpenCellular is that it can work even when a
backhaul connection goes down. It includes not only the antenna needed to
broadcast a wireless signal but also the “core” networking hardware needed
to process this signal. This means that if it loses a connection to the
heart of the network, it still lets people communicate with each other
locally, sending and receiving texts or making calls. “Even if the backhaul
goes down,” Subramanian says, “a village could still communicate.”"

"*Wireless Backpacking*...OpenCellular [...] allow just about anyone to set
up a wireless network, even in rather rural areas. Measuring 19.5- by 8.5-
by 4.5-inches, it’s something you could easily carry as you angle to
install it on a tree or a telephone pole. “You could wear it like a
backpack as you climb the pole,” he says. “Anyone who can climb a tree can
put it up.”"

"existing players can deliver the Internet to about 90 percent of all
people on the planet merely by upgrading existing wireless networks that
provide phone service without delivering data. But Facebook wants to reach
that other 10 percent..."

Excerpts from:

   Facebook OpenCellular: A Baby Antenna Brings Internet to the Boonies
   http://www.wired.com/2016/07/facebook-2/

On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 4:04 PM, Adam Holt <holt at laptop.org> wrote:

> On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 3:53 PM, Adam Holt <holt at laptop.org> wrote:
>
>> Where "OpenCellular" presumably means something a bit more than
>> anti-Android ;)
>>
>> Introducing OpenCellular: An open source wireless access platform
>> https://code.facebook.com/posts/1754757044806180/
>>
>> Good thing GSM-like rural technologies like OpenBTS are finally being
>> taken seriously??
>>
>
> Which Facebook's rural-radio publicists have not bothered to mention for
> whatever reason, so FYI:
>
>    Open Base Transceiver Station
>    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenBTS
>
>
>> Anyway FB/OpenCellular promises to work with giant/sudden telco
>> consortium https://telecominfraproject.com (TIP) to move 5G and similar
>> deeper into the wilderness, as 2020 comes and goes...
>>
>> If so, it's a refreshing/honest honest admission that
>> drones/balloons/satellites remain PR spin to capture Sci-Fi headlines,
>> while terrestrial radio's last-miles continues to grow and grow.  So
>> OpenCellular might be yet another hype-filled trial balloon, but fyi until
>> we know more:
>>
>> "We aim to work with Telecom Infra Project (TIP) members to build an
>> active open source community around cellular access technology development
>> and to select trial locations for further validation of technical,
>> functional, and operational aspects of the platform."
>>
>> "The hardware was designed with simplicity in mind, to encourage people
>> to deploy their own cellular networks. Many people might not realize that
>> running their own cellular networks is not only possible but also doesn’t
>> require substantial technical expertise."
>>
>> "The first implementation of our platform will be available this summer."
>>
>> "We also aim to contribute OpenCellular to TIP so everyone in the
>> ecosystem can benefit from this technology. Our goal is to build an active
>> open source community around cellular access technology development."
>>
>> opencellular at fb.com
>>
>> --
>> <opencellular at fb.com>
>> <opencellular at fb.com>
>> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ <opencellular at fb.com>
>> http://unleashkids.org !
>>
>> --
>> Unsung Heroes of OLPC, interviewed live @ http://unleashkids.org !
>>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/server-devel/attachments/20160706/afc70c2a/attachment.html>