Dharamsala, June 22 : In this sylvan Himalayan outpost of Tibetan exiles in India, techies from across the globe are planning to link up and share ideas to build solutions that can radically alter the way non-urban millions communicate.
Based in Dharamsala, the Tibetan Technology Center (TibTec), a prominent player in wireless mesh network development, has announced plans to host the ‘AirJaldi’ Summit on wireless technologies in October.
One of the organisers, Laird Brown of Tibtec, said the group has partnered with the Djursland International Institute of Rural Wireless Broadband (DIIRWB), the European leader in community-based WiFi development, and will join a World Summit on Free Information Infrastructure (WSFII) to conduct a conference and extended wireless training workshops in October.
This conference will be held during Oct 22-25 at Dharamsala, close to the Mcleodganj headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile headed by the Dalai Lama. Training workshops will span a two-week period after the conference.
Wireless mesh networking is networking implemented over a Wireless LAN. This type of Internet infrastructure is decentralised, relatively inexpensive, reliable and resilient. Each node has to transmit data only as far as the next node.
Nodes act as repeaters to transmit data from one to the other, resulting in a network that can span large distances especially over difficult terrain. Mesh networks are extremely reliable as each node is connected to several other nodes.
‘As a result of developing the Dharamsala wireless mesh network, we were approached by global technology leaders to share our research. One thing led to another,’ said Phuntsok Dorjee, chief information officer with the Tibetan Technology Center.
Proponents of the technology are calling the Dharamsala Community Wireless Mesh Network an experiment of ‘a successful example of a sustainable technology integration model’.
With its unique combination of low-cost yet robust technology, community-based implementation, and relatively large-scale application, the Dharamsala project is seen by a growing network of techies as ‘an appropriate model for many rural areas around the world’.
The ‘Air Jaldi’ Summit will attract wireless technology experts and community activists from India, Europe, North America, Israel, and Australia. It is being organised in response to international interest in the Dharamsala Community Wireless Mesh Network.
TibTec is a charitable organisation dedicated to harnessing modern technology and assisting the Tibetan community in India.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 and set up his government-in-exile in McLeodganj, which is sometimes referred to as ‘Little Lhasa’. Since then, thousands of Tibetans have settled in the town.
