E-mail over HF radio

S.R. ChanziManager Wino Development Association,

Songea Rural District, Tanzania

CONTENTS

• Introduction

• Wino ward

• E-mail over HF radio system

• Experiences

• Benefits

• The future

• Conclusion

WERE IS WINO?

WinoWardArea

WINO WARD SONGEA RURAL DISTRICT, TANZANIA

WINO WARD

Communications are sometimes hard due to e.g. heavy rains

WINO village shop

WINO DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION – A LOCAL NGO (WIDA)

• WIDA was established in 1990 by the support of Malmöhus Läns Hushållningssällskap

• Support also from Forum Syd (SIDA) and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

• Agriculture Marketing Cooperative (WAMCS)

• Microfinance Bank (SACCO)

• Over 40 female groups

• Youth program

• Self help programs

E-MAIL OVER HF RADIO IN TANZANIA

• Connects remote sites without access to a telephone line via "E-Mail via HF Radio" to the Internet and the world.

• Uses standard HF Radio and Terminal Node Controller (Modem) to connect to commercial Internet and E-mail Server Nodes to:- Send and receive E-mail from/to everywhere within Tanzania and worldwide

• Send a fax by email to any fax in the world (via e.g. faxaway)

• The Radio E-mail system can be used with standard amateur HF radios and does not require expensive proprietary hardware.

E-MAIL OVER HF RADIO IN TANZANIA.. (cont)

• The data is individually encrypted and therefore eavesdropping by other stations is not possible, unlike with amateur radio data transmission systems.

• Easy to use, automatic software and robust dependable hardware. Support that is only a radiocall away. Remote control capability to help with troubleshooting the setup of the system.

• SIDA donated a modem in January 2002 to WIDA

HOW IT WORKS

• Microwave, high bandwidth frequency technologies like 802.11b provides line-of-sight connection of 10 miles or so. This won't do for the vast distances and wild terrain we need to cover in rural Africa.

• HF radio is different. Its longer waves roll out across the landscape, reflecting off the ionosphere to follow the curvature of the earth. This gives HF signals a range in the hundreds of miles.

• However, where HF wins the wireless game in range, it loses in data capacity. If 802.11b is considered broadband, think of HF as slim-to-none-band. The radio modems we are using are speed at an anorexic 2400 baud! (With compression perhaps 4800 baud)

HOW IT WORKS..(cont.)

• Two-way radio is the classic half-duplex medium of communication; that is, you are either transmitting--push to talk--or receiving, not both at the same time. Forget about on-line browsing, chat, video-conferencing and the like.

• But for classic store-and-forward applications like text-based e-mail, the bandwidth limitation of HF radio is workable.

WHAT EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED?

• Radio license, $80

• LapTop or Desktop computer (WIN95 or later). Preferably Pentium class, but a 50 MHz 486 will work.

• A TNC (Radio Modem) $250-$450, (Pactor I) $650-$1100 (Pactor II-III)

• A stable Radio Amateur type SSB radio. 50 watts is plenty! $1000

• An antenna. $50-$400

• A power supply, for LapTop installation, typically:1-2 12V batteries $50-$701-2 solar panels $500-$10001 charge controller $150-$300

TYPICAL MONTHLY CHARGES

• The current monthly rental for BushLink’s Pactor III Clients is $15/month. ($30 for the 3 times slower Pactor II )

• Then there are volume charges (sending and receiving) depending upon message size:

• Messsage Size (kb) $/kb1-4 0.094-25 0.0825+ 0.03

• Typically the monthly cost would be around $60-$70 for only text messages, but more if lots of attachments are sent.

EXPERIENCES

• During the period February 1 to December 13 2002 in total 1285 messages were sent and 1569 received.

• Costs were TSh 1000 or 1500 for member/non-member

• A number of power outages

• No appended files (<100 kb)

• Best coffee prices in Tanzania, $20,000+ generated through better communications

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

WIDAWAMCSSACCOFSMLHVSOPrivateMailsys

BENEFITS

• The e-mail service has provided easy communication with outside world. Like:

-Information to/from Gov. and other organizations

-Information to/from relatives

-Market prices for agro products

-Communication with NGO’s

-Communications with WIDA Dar Group

Dispensary

THE NEAR FUTURE

• A Ku-band VSAT, with 0.9 m dish is beeing installed for Internet connections to SatComNet Tanzania by local ISP Uhuru Online

• Initial speed is 32/32 kb/s

• Monthly airtime fee $199

• Upgradable to 1 Mb/s

THE NEXT FUTURE

• A commerical Company, (limited by guarantee) WETCO will operate the power supply and telecommunications in Songea Rural District. (Wino, Mahanje, Madaba etc.)

• More than 100 km underground 11 kV power cables including optical fibres will be constructed together with the successive development of hydro power capacity.

CONCLUSION

• Good experience from E-mail over HF radio

• Commercially viable

• Many people and organizations benefit from easier communications

• Next stage a VSAT with 32 kb/s Internet connectivity

• Optical fibres to be distributed in the area by new Commercial enterprise WETCO

• Telecommunications, Internet, TV etc. to follow.