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Supporting new solutions for broadband Internet access in rural markets

Sometimes, the best way to take a new idea from the research phase to the real world is to take that idea into the field.

Google.org has provided a $2 million grant to the De Novo Group to advance wireless technologies that could help bring broadband Internet access to emerging markets around the world.

De Novo Group is leading a projectcalled “Celerateto develop and deploy new wireless network designs in rural communities. Celerate’s goal is to create both a prototype design and an open source networking solution that could be replicated in emerging markets. These new technologies will be freely available for anyone to use or commercialize, creating a more affordable option for broadband access that is cheaper to deploy, operate and manage.

Celerate’s wireless network designs are based on the principles of Software-Defined Networking (SDN), which are used today in large data centers and enterprise networks. Celerate will extend this technology to rural wireless networks, with an eye toward research as well as providing real network services to users.

De Novo Group is working with researchers from Stanford University and UC Berkeley, and is now working to find a community for the first deployments (ideally, located in Northern California, close to the project team). 

Universal access is a big challenge. Today, just one in three people worldwide are connected to the Internet. This is another step forward in developing new technologies to connect more people in more parts of the world.

Posted by Jennifer Haroon, Access Principal

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