Communications of the ACM
Connecting the Jungle and Other Remote Parts of the World
The TUCAN3G project is aimed at bringing 3G wireless service to previously unserved regions of the world.
Credit: kingofwallpapers.com
The European Union's TUCAN3G project is bringing 3G wireless service to previously unconnected regions of the world.
TUCAN3G utilizes new wireless technologies to create access networks based on 3G femtocells, which are small, low-power cellular base stations that function as repeaters and can boost Internet signals.
The TUCAN3G researchers say the advantage of using femtocells is they work via solar energy, eliminating the need for traditional energy infrastructures, which are infeasible in remote areas. For example, they say installing a classical access station could cost 40,000 euros (more than $45,000), whereas a femtocell can be bought for 500 euros (about $560).
In addition, the researchers say femtocells are easy to install and can be maintained with a simple reconfiguration performed remotely.
The TUCAN3G project set up a demonstration platform in a remote region of the Amazon rainforest. The locals were able to use the femtocells to communicate with relatives, coordinate healthcare services, and negotiate the price of the crops they were selling. In addition to connecting scattered villages, TUCAN3G also persuaded local governments to support the development of small, mobile rural operators linked to the Telefonica backbone, thus ensuring continuous connectivity for the villagers.
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