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  2. Hooray For Macedonia!

Hooray For Macedonia!

By j7uy5 on September 5, 2006.

Via the href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0831/p15s02-stct.html">Christian
Science Monitor:


Formerly a part of Yugoslavia, and on the brink of
ethnic war only a few years ago, Macedonia has become what may be the
first "wireless country" in the world. With $3.9 million from the US
Agency for International Development, the Macedonia Connects program
has brought wireless Internet service to the country's 460 primary and
secondary schools, which had already been equipped with 6,000 computers
donated by the Chinese government.



On.Net, a Macedonian company, was contracted to build the $7 million
wireless network. Instead of a myriad of WiFi hotspots, the network
consists of a mesh of hot-zones - each stretching some 10 miles over
cities and villages - that covers 95 percent of the country. After the
schools were linked up almost a year ago, On.Net began offering the
service to businesses and individuals. Now anybody with a WiFi enabled
computer can tap into the network - free of charge in some areas,
including parts of the capital, Skopje. Elsewhere in the country, users
pay $20 or more a month for access...


The only problem is that most people in href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Macedonia"
rel="tag">Macedonia either do not have computers,
or
do not have even the $20 to pay for access.  Still, it is a
good start.  They are already ahead of the USA in one aspect
of their infrastructure.


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That is great! Once there is wi-fi, there will be users - it may take a couple of years. Also, I think the number of computers is undercounted severely - outside of the West, people tend to make their own computers and write their own software - that is why they do so well when they come to the USA to work in computer firms.