Academic

THIS WOULD SEEM TO HAVE OBVIOUS DISASTER-RESPONSE IMPLICATIONS: New project enables mobile phone us?

By Glenn Reynolds

THIS WOULD SEEM TO HAVE OBVIOUS DISASTER-RESPONSE IMPLICATIONS: New project enables mobile phone use in areas with no reception.

The project includes two systems that can operate separately or be combined. One is specifically for disaster areas, and consists of a temporary, self-organizing and self-powered mobile phone network that operates via small phone towers dropped into the area by aircraft.

The second system consists of a permanent mesh-based phone network between Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones, with no tower infrastructure required. Eventually, the system will also include the ?Batphone,? which will be a specially designed phone able to operate on other unlicensed frequencies.

The systems use open-source software developed by the team and dubbed Distributed Numbering Architecture (DNA). The software allows mobile phones to make calls out and receive calls on their existing numbers. The mesh network technology was developed by Village Telco and is integrated with the software to create a mesh network in which each phone acts as an independent router. . . . Dr Gardner-Stephen said the system could be operational within 18 months provided the project receives adequate funding. He said his dream was for every mobile phone to be equipped with the system so that if there is a disaster all the phones in the region will automatically switch to the mesh network mode of operation as a fallback.

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Full post as published by Instapundit.com on July 14, 2010 (boomark / email).