Testbed for rural area metworking: First steps towards a solution

Connecting the unconnected world is a challenging task not only in technological perspective but also economically. Providing a viable solution for a communication network in large rural areas such as parts of Africa or remote Lapland in Northern Finland, surprisingly, share similar challenges. The main criteria for such a network are energy-efficient, robust, and reliable operation even in harsh environment. Important aspects are also low-cost and easy deployment of such a network. Developing a network that would meet all the criteria requires theoretical studies as well as real-world testing and implementations. In this paper, we will present some early results and design highlights of a wireless mesh network testbed deployment that can be used to foster the research work. We also envision it as a base for an actual solution. We introduce some of the concepts and objectives behind the testbed and describe and rationalize the chosen hardware and architecture choices.