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Internet Access Without Electricity, Connectivity or Phone Services. No Matter Where You Are.

By Zee
November 27, 2008
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Internet Access Without Electricity, Connectivity or Phone Services. No Matter Where You Are.

I came upon a wonderful story about a worldwide effort to bring internet access to people across the globe, despite hurdles such as no connectivity, no phone service and no electricity.

SolarNetOne is a collaborative effort spanning several continents, organizations, and technical disciplines. The goal of the effort is to develop a feasible, sustainable solution to bring the internet to places that have no connectivity, no phone service and no electricity.

Developed by Florida based GNUveau, the system is a solar-powered Internet “hub” (running Ubuntu GNU/Linux). The terminals includes access to web browsing, email, voip, office, multimedia, software development and web development tools as well as 15,000 other applications. Wifi coverage spans a 2-mile radius, with no fuel costs, no polluting emissions and a long lifespan of up to 20 years with proper maintenance. The entire system, in fact, operates on about the same amount of power as a 100-watt light bulb, GNUveau says.

Scott Johnson, founder of GNUveau:

With experts in open source software, photo-voltaic electricity, internet infrastructure, and true internet pioneers on the SolarNetOne team, we have endeavored to design and implement systems capable of bridging the digital divide under the most difficult of conditions, and in the most open method available.

On the wiki, you can see the system running in Katsina State University in Nigeria right now, providing wireless connectivity and “Internet Cafe” like services to hundreds of people.

Zee Editor In Chief, The Next Web Network
Based in London, Zee is Editor in Chief of The Next Web.Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

  • Manny
    All I can say is: this is an excellent article. I just have two questions:
    1. I live in one of the Coldest areas in Canada with about 5 to 6 months of winter. This means we don't particularly get a lot of sun during these months. How would I something like that work in these parts of the world?
    2. How can I get my hands on these units to test it from my area and some of the further north communities around my area?
  • esther rearden
    im old and fairly new to internet technology.im paying too much for my telephone and internet service.can i get internet service with out my telephone and how is it done?i dont have cable or sattallite.
  • nadia
    Great story. More and more companies and internet providers are making it easier for Americans to stay connected as our culture becomes more technologically savvy. Companies, such as Clear in Portland, are now offering complete internet access wherever they go. No more searching for Wi-Fi hot spots. Check them out: www.clear.com/?utm_source=bc
  • Great post ! Hope you don't mind that we mentioned it and linked to you on our blog.

    All the best.
  • Nice article, but misleading title. This is not internet without electricity or connectivity (what would that even mean?), but without grid-supplied electricity and connectivity. When I first saw the title I thought it was a late (or early) April Fools joke, then I read it and found a genuine article. Glad I didn't just smile and close the window.
  • Yes, awesome! I guess it is good to be on vacation in the jungle with your laptop...
  • This is a marvellous idea, I hope it will be widely used. Thanks for posting about it Zee.

    I've written a short piece for more general consumption on my own blog (http://blog.scilla.org.uk/) in the hope of helping spread the word.

    Chris
  • Man, this is awesome, it'd be great even in America!
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