The Situation

The absence of basic communication services, such as phone lines and broadband Internet, has left this remote place with no portal to the outside world and has kept the area locked in isolation. But not until recently when a non-profit organization, the Jhai Foundation, has connected the community to IPSTAR broadband service.

Universal Service Obligation (USO) via IPSTAR

Through IPSTAR, the Jhai Foundation is able to provide the villagers with up-to-date weather reports, recent prices on agricultural crops and contact with their relatives living abroad. The community also makes use of the technology for online health consolations with doctors working in Vientiane – eliminating the need for ill, disabled and less fortunate villagers to travel in nearby cities for medical checkup.

In rural areas – like Phonsavan – where terrestrial infrastructure falls short, the Jhai Foundation is facing the added challenge of having no power line in place. Any Internet network requires electrical power to operate, calling for a reliable power source to avoid service interruptions. The IPSTAR solution employs a small-sized antenna and a low-power consuming user terminal – making it possible for the system to run by using solar panels, or even a generator powered by pedaling a stationary bicycle.

Bicycles now Pedaling Power Generators for IPSTAR

Using bicycle generators or solar panels as alternative power source provide significant operating cost savings for Jhai Foundation in sustaining the project. In addition, generating electricity from these eco-friendly technologies reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emission, while delivering IPSTAR broadband Internet to any isolated area with no existing power line.

With the successful implementation of the Hmong village project, the Jhai Foundation is now planning to implement similar networks in about 22,000 villages in India, Vietnam and other parts of Asia-Pacific.