WITFOR 2007 Building the Infrastructure/Education

1. WITFOR 2007Building the Infrastructure/Education BorgouNET, ICT for Rural Community in Benin Constant SOSSOULO, Executive Director of BorgouNET NGO http://www.borgounet.org Email: sconstant@borgounet.org

2. Summary Introduction • Our History • Cost comparison • Our Network • Our Building process • Education Contribution

3. Whowe are… • NGO (no government organization) working since 1999; • 15 employees (7 Engineers,3 technicians) • 1000 users (Projects, NGOs, University, College) • 200 000 $ US annual budget • Finalist of APC Hafkin Price 2004/2005 (www.apc.org)

4. About the Project • Republic of Benin: West Africa, Population: 7 millions 112.000 km2 • 12 Departments (Regions) • Official language : French • Borgou : most important department in North Benin, 300.000 people

5. Our aim • Providing Mail Services to the Rural Communities in Benin • Allow to NGOs, Projects, Associations and Schools to access to the Internet

6. What we do…(1) • Internet Services Provider for Projects • Network Administration • Webpage Administration • Computers Maintenance • ICT Formations • ICT Radio Program • ICT Club for Schools*

7. What we do…(2)

8. What we do…(3) VSAT Installation…. Wi-Fi Antennas mading…

9. BorgouNET Year by Year…(1) • 1999 : Telephonic lines worked very badly in Benin • 1999 : BorgouNET was born as local Mail Server for Parakou(3rd Town) • 2000 : BorgouNET provided Formations and Computer Repairing Services • 2001: BorgouNET provided Internet by Telephone and VHF (mail service) • 2002 :BorgouNET built a Wireless Network at Parakou

10. BorgouNET(Year by Year) (2) • 2002 : BorgouNET provided Internet Access by Wi-Fi Technologies (802.11b) • 2004 : BorgouNET started building its Wi-Fi Antennas • 2005 : BorgouNET provided Hotline Assistance by Radio Program • 2005: BorgouNET set up ICT Clubs for Schools: (University of Parakou, Colleges) • 2005 :BorgouNET financed 100% of ZouNET project (Internet Access for Health Projects in the Department of Zou in Benin)

11. BorgouNET(Year by Year) (3) • 2006 : Beginning of AliboriNET project (In the Department of Alibori , far from 650 km to the capital) • 2007 : BorgouNET started ICT Formations for Specific Needs of Projects in Rural Community • 2008 : BorgouNET will start AtacoraNET in Benin ( far from 600 Km to the capital) • 2008: BorgouNET will start the “Benin Linux Academy Learning Center “(Formation of Engineers in Linux Server Administration)

12. Cost Compare (1)

13. Cost Compare(2) • BorgouNET :Only organization in Benin mading his Wi-Fi antenna with local materials • BorgouNET provides Internet services in rural department where private company cannot work with profit • BorgouNET prices is still the best in all the country for ICT formations teaching by qualified Engineer • BorgouNET provides 6 months formation every year for Schools for less than 1$US/week/student • BorgouNET provides Free formations for Schools ICT Club Managers;

14. Mail Server Internet Access Room Wi-Fi Base Station + Router VHF Router Wi-Fi Local Router 10 Lines with Modem Our Network • RTC : Internet by Telephonic Lines (for users with a telephone line) • Wi-Fi: for Users distance less than 15 Km from the Wi-Fi Base Station • Radio VHF: for rural users far from 80 Km (from the Base Station ) for sending/receiving emails (from 1999 to 2000) Wi-Fi Users Internet Users VHF Users RTC

15. Wireless Technology • Hot Spot Access (Free Radius) on Each Department • Wireless Technologies (802.11b) • Wireless distribution Systems (WDS) • Site Survey made with Open Source Software (Radio Mobile) • Servers Running on Linux Debian, FreeBSD • Architecture : Point to Multipoint (12 km) • FTP Services available for Free on local Network • Intranet available for all Wireless users

16. Internet by Modem • 10 analogical lines (+10 external modems) for 100 users • Buy External modem for each line (BorgouNET uses 10 external modems for 10 analogical lines) • Users identification Server based on Free Software • Users ID and Password is the same for Mail Server

17. VSAT • Antenna Assembly, Pointing by BorgouNET Engineers • VSAT Installation in 48 hours • C-Band Services on each site • Dedicated Services Ratio 1:1 (1024/256 Kbs)

18. EducationContribution • Club concept : Each Club can provide BorgouNET’s Services • BorgouNET organize for each school ICT club • Each club has his activities program and BorgouNET provides formation for the club staff; • The famous club is the ICT Club of University of Parakou who provides maintenance service and hotline service to the University • Several education centres (secondary and grammar school have no electricity to use computer) so Laptop is more suitable for formations • BorgouNET program for these centres concerns Beginning program in computer using, maintenance of equipments, Microsoft office suit for student (work, excel, PowerPoint), free software (OpenOffice)

19. Conclusion • BorgouNET’s Project in Benin: a way for Projects, NGOs and Education Center to have a local Internet Services • BorgouNET’s concept is made with success in 2 other departments in Bénin : • ZouNET Project (department of Zou) provides Internet Access and Linux Server Network Administration for Hospital, PISAF project(www.urc-benin.com) , and 5 others health projects • AliboriNET is a new project of BorgouNET made with Ingenieria Sin Fronteras of Madrid (www.isf.es) • BorgouNET will start working not only on ICT area from 2009 but also in Agricultural and Micro Finance

20. THANK YOU SO MUCH