[53836] in North American Network Operators' Group
RE: South Asia Network Operators Group (SANOG)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (matthew)
Fri Nov 29 10:25:38 2002
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 07:25:01 -0800 (PST)
From: matthew <matthew@devney.net>
To: Gordon Cook <cook@cookreport.com>
Cc: nanog@merit.edu, "Poyerd, Denis" <Denis.Poyerd@veridian.com>
In-Reply-To: <p05200f1fba0c85d3913e@[10.0.1.2]>
Errors-To: owner-nanog-outgoing@merit.edu
On Thu, 28 Nov 2002, Gordon Cook wrote:
>
> In 99 and 2000 there was an internet cafe in Namche. It depended
> for connection to the outside world on a microwave link on towers
> between Lukla and Jiri. In January 2001 the Maoists blew up the
> repeater towers leaving namche and the everest region without
> internet and telecom of any kind.
> For all of 2001 and most of 2002 Tsering went back and forth between
> namche and kathmandu, picking the brains of the ISPs and trying to
> reestablish internet and bring local phone services to the the towns
> of the Solu Khumbu. Finally with VSat and radio telephones and a
> PBX and copper wire, he brought up a small asset based
> telecom/internet system in the solu khumbu on october 19, 2002. he
> doesn't have a web site up yet. But by the Sanog meeting he should
> have an excellent site up. I spent several hours with him every day
> from november 3 through november 7th. His plans are fascinating and
> testimony to both his creativeness and that of the Nepali ISPs who
> are helping him. i intend to assist him in a number of ways as well.
>
> If he does all he is setting out to do, he will put a floor of
> economic and political stability underneath the everest region. That
> region will be connected to the rest of the world as never before and
> there will be a web based repository of the region's history and
> culture and detailed information on all treking and climbing
> activities. I am much inspired by what i have seen and heard.
>
This story is a reminder to us all, to contribute (or talk our employers
into contributing) time, money, personnel, or expertise to Geek Corps
(www.geekcorps.org). Bring the internet to a third world country, and you
greatly improve that country's economic outlook, and with that comes
political and economic stability -- and another market for your company's
product.
--matthew@devney.net
