Share this
Twitter
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Yahoo
Googlize this
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
In the spirt of entrepreneurship, change, and the can-do movement, The Engineering for Change blog published "open source cell phone network could cut costs to USD2 per month."
The project is called, "OpenBTS." It is an open-source, software-based cellphone network that costs 1/10th that of traditional networks. Its carrier could charge USD2 a month and still make a profit.
Interesting, isn't it?
Startup cost is USD4,500
How it works is simple. The Base Transceiver is a low-cost replacement for traditional cell networks. It allows the receiver to connect to any phone through an Internet connection.
The Universal Software Radio Peripheral is plugged into a computer. This creates a signal that looks like a signal for GSM phones.
According to Engineering for Change, a local phone company could invest as little as USD200,000 to install the network in a rural off-the-grid village. OpenBTS would cost about USD20,000. That would include solar panels so power would be free.
What do you think?
____
screenshot by author
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
