spectrum
The value of being connected to a communication network is steadily rising. And yet, half of the world population remains unconnected to the Internet. Traditional solutions are showing signs of having reached their limits. Attempts to address this problem, whether through universal service strategies/funds, private sector initiatives or philanthropy, have met with limited success. This presents a conundrum for policy-makers and regulators where value continues to accrue to those with affordab...
Quality connectivity in rural areas is possible. Colnodo, an APC member organisation in Colombia, has been working for years towards that goal and now rural communities will have access to spectrum under the country’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry. The end result of a process that began in early 2017, this project involves mounting a mobile telephone network in pilot mode in the municipality of Buenos Aires, Cauca. We spoke with Julián Casasbuenas, Colnodo direct...
APC joined Rhizomatica, Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the AfChix Uganda chapter, BOSCO Uganda and the Internet Society to submit comments to a public consultation on the proposed review of the licensing framework for the telecommunications sector in Uganda. The submission emphasises the need to enable alternative approaches to broadband deliver...
For our fifth interview in the spectrum series, we spoke with Karla Velasco Ramos and Erick Huerta, who both do extensive work on community network advocacy and development in Mexico. Erick is the assistant general coordinator and Karla is the international area coordinator at Redes por la Diversidad, Equidad y Sustentabilidad A.C. (Redes A.C.), a civil society organisation focused on indigenou...
For the fourth interview in the spectrum series, we spoke with Dr Carlos Rey-Moreno and Steve Song. Carlos is a member of APC’s staff and a telecommunications engineer with a background in development studies. Carlos has been involved in rural connectivity projects in underserved areas for more than 10 years, initially with the Enlace Hispano Americano de Salud (EHAS) Foundation in Latin Amer...
Our third interview in the spectrum series features APC's internet access specialist Mike Jensen. Mike has a 30-year history of establishing communications systems in over 45 developing countries. An Internet Hall of Fame inductee, he has been at the forefront of network connectivity since “the very start”. Mike co-founded "The Web", an internet service provider for the non-profit se...
For the second interview in our spectrum series, we had the chance to speak with Peter Bloom, general coordinator and founder of Mexico-based NGO and APC member organisation, Rhizomatica. Peter established Rhizomatica in 2009 with the mission of increasing telecommunications access by helping communities to build, own and manage their own low-cost, open source communications infrastructu...
In Notice 1003 published in Government Gazette No. 41935 dated 27 September 2018, the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) invited the public to provide written comments on proposed policy and policy directions to the authority on licensing of unassigned high-demand spectrum. Our submission is premised on the supply-side challenges identified in the White Paper to transfo...
Electromagnetic spectrum is ubiquitous. Like other common goods, spectrum has historically been subject to gradual curtailment and private ownership. At the same time, it continues to be invisible in political discussions. There are currently opportunities to change this scenario, which will largely depend on a new understanding of what the spectrum is and how to use it, as well as significant ...
This member story was featured in the 2017 APC Annual Report, as part of our work on access. The Nupef Institute supports the implementation of community networks in areas lacking internet access, both through the deployment of networks in regions that are not accessible (such as the Marohao communities in Maranhão where Nupef operated through 2017), and through the circulation of information...
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