Computer Aid International is revolutionizing Internet connectivity for rural communities in Africa. By providing rural wi-fi cyber cafes powered by solar panels, rural communities in Africa can get connected to the rest of the world via the Internet!According to Computer Aid International, this first cyber café is being sent to Macha in Zambia to provide the community with Internet access through Africa’s largest rural Wi-Fi network.
The cyber café houses a fully functional computer set up, comprising a thin client network of eleven monitors running off a standard Pentium 4 PC. Solar panels have been fitted to power the container, which will be located over 70km from the closet tarmac road.
The cyber café houses a fully functional computer set up, comprising a thin client network of eleven monitors running off a standard Pentium 4 PC. Solar panels have been fitted to power the container, which will be located over 70km from the closet tarmac road.
“The reasoning behind this concept is that a number of partners were telling us about the problems in areas where there is no Internet connectivity or mains power,” Tony Roberts, CEO of Computer Aid International, explained to eWEEK Europe UK. “We had just done a research project on using renewable energy, and we found that the capital costs involved were quite expensive. Indeed, in one school we examined in Zambia, its solar panel provided only enough power to drive one PC and one printer.”
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