The department has received a US $350,000 grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to pilot and demonstrate the viability and robustness of WiFi for offering various information services.

A team from the department is visiting a total of eight rural communities across the country to hold gauge the viability of the technology and consultations with the communities. Only two communities at the end of the consultation will be picked out for piloting the technology.

“In one of the communities we will set up a wireless network and an information centre with internet facility while in another we will be setting up only a wireless network,” said the IDRC site project manager, Namgay Wangchuk.

While the wireless network will keep the people connected, the village information centre is expected to disseminate relevant information relating to agriculture, animal husbandry, health, education, rural enterprise and disaster management.

“For that we will have to train the intermediaries like health staff and non-formal education teachers to use the Internet facilities,” said Namgay Wangchuk.

“It is the rural communities who should benefit the most from access to ICT,” said Project coordinator for the IDRC, Nima Tshering. “The wireless technology and the information centres can connect rural communities to markets for goods and information.”

The eight communities were selected based on the criteria that they had both landline telecommunications and electricity supply.

“We cannot have wireless services without the landlines or electricity,” said Nima Tshering.

“Most remote villages are located on harsh terrain that makes electricity and telecommunication facilities difficult to reach.”

Project officials said that the project was inspired by Bhutan Telecom’s plan to introduce 10 phone lines for every geog under their current rural telecommunication project.

“We will study how wireless technology can be employed to scale up one back bone connection into a cell of voice and data communications within a locality,” said Nima Tshering.

According to him, if a geog had 10 land lines, they could increase the wireless lines up to 60 or 100.

The team has visited Nisho and Sephu geogs in Wangduephodrang, Langthel and Drakteng geogs in Trongsa, Ura in Bumthang, Membi in Tangmachu under Lhuentse, and Shumar and Zobel geogs in Pemagatsel.

“We do not want to put the service in a place where it will not be used. That will only kill the project,” said Nima Tshering. “We want the people to own and control the facility that are provided to them.”

The project which started in July 2005 expires by July 2007.

source: kuenselonline.com