Access to the Internet:

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Access to the Internet:

Re-establishing the Island-based

Cybercafé and Providing Home-based

Internet Access

◆ _{Country: Maldives}

◆ _{Location: Hinnavaru, Lhaviyani Atoll}

◆ _{Community: Residents of Hinnavaru and visitors to the island} ◆ _{Number of Beneficiaries:}

200 households and users of the cybercafé

◆ _{Workshop Section: Infrastructure}

◆ _{Implementing Institution: Hesperus Sports Club} ◆ _{Head: Yoosuf Abdulla}

◆ _{Details of Institution:}

Address: Burevimaage, Lhaviyani Hinnavaru, Maldives Tel.: (+960) 7858861

E-mail: info@hesperusonline.com

◆ _{Implementation Period: January-November 2006} ◆ _{Budget: $44,151.76}

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M A L D I V E S

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The South-South Grants Facility (SSGF) supported the Hesperus Sports Club on the island of Hinnavaru in the Lhaviyani Atoll of the Maldives to restore Internet services to the island community. The community cybercafé, which had been the one source of Internet access on the island prior to its destruction by the 2004 tsunami, was re-established under the project and with faster Internet access using broadband via satellite (fig. 1). In addition, direct Internet service was pro-vided to households and other entities at affordable prices through a cable net-work. The use of the network was later extended for the provision of cable tele-vision services as well.

Since the start of the project, the Hinnavaru community has been much more conversant with Internet usage. Students, teachers, parents, office work-ers and othwork-ers now use the Internet for school projects, to obtain general infor-mation, and for e-mail, trade and various other purposes (fig. 2. Furthermore, the

community has also benefited from lower prices for the cable television service as the monopoly that had previously existed in the sector was challenged. As a result, the Hesperus Sports Club’s objective of “building back better” was achieved.

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Hinnavaru is an island of the Lhaviyani Atoll of the Maldives located 146.61 km from the capital city, Male’. The island covers an area of 7.24 hectares and hosts a population of 4,355, of which 1,600 are under 18 years of age. Fishing, masonry and carpentry comprise the main eco-nomic activities of the island community.

Advanced telecommunication facili-ties had not yet been widely extended to many islands of the Maldives. Internet services had been established on Hinnavaru in June 2002 via a dial-up sys-tem using the services provided by the national telecommunications company,

Figure 1 Satellite receivers provide Internet access to the Hinnavaru community.

Figure 2 Teachers, students and others are able to use the Hesperus Cybercafé for Internet and other information technology needs.

Dhiraagu. The only cybercafé on the island, which was operated by a local NGO, the Hesperus Sports Club, was badly damaged by the tsunami of December 2004, resulting in disruption of the Internet service on the island.

OB J E C T I V E S

With around 900 students, over 30 expa-triate workers, a large number of youth and a significant amount of economic activity on the island, access to the Internet is important for the socio-eco-nomic well-being of the community. The Hesperus Sports Club proposed a project to avail itself of the SSGF so as to provide a better-than-before range of services to the community at affordable prices by re-establishing the cybercafé and providing home access to the Internet. It was esti-mated that with a community contribu-tion of about 40 per cent towards the cost of the project, at least half of the island’s households would benefit from the initia-tive. In addition, with charges attached to the services, the NGO expected to receive an income, which it could subse-quently reinvest in various other develop-ment initiatives.

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AC T I V I T I E S

Community Perception Sur vey

The Hesperus Sports Club started the project in early 2006 with a survey on the

community’s perceptions of Internet use, which achieved the dual purposes of gauging reaction and raising interest in the project. The questions ranged from general queries as to whether the respon-dent thought the Internet was useful or harmful for various segments of the population and society in general, to questions on whether connections at home would be desirable and how much people would be willing to pay for such a service. The responses received from the sample of 450 people were overwhelm-ingly in favour of providing Internet services directly to homes, and most respondents viewed the Internet as a useful tool.

Establishment of a Cybercafé

Following the survey, marketing activities and the development of the cybercafé site began concurrently. Leaflets and posters were designed and printed detail-ing the services that would be provided by the cybercafé, and the equipment was procured. The cybercafé was opened to the public on 12 May 2006, offering

30 minutes Rf 12

45 minutes Rf 16

60 minutes Rf 20

Each additional 30 minutes Rf 10

Monthly Package

Students Rf 150

Others Rf 200

Download speed (kbps) 256 Upload speed (kbps) 64 Cybercafé Browsing Charges

Internet, e-mail, printing and scanning facilities seven days a week for nine and a half hours from Saturdays through Thursdays and six and a half hours on Fridays. Six Pentium 4 computers with headphones and a webcam (web camera), a LaserJet printer, a colour DeskJet printer and a Canon scanner are available for use (fig. 3). Extra services such as printing of cards and photographs have also been made available along with other specialist services such as website design, network installation and maintenance, and com-puter repairs. The cybercafé is served by a satellite broadband connection installed through an agreement with a national Internet service provider, Focus Infocom Pvt. Ltd.

Awareness-raising Sessions

In conjunction with the introduction of the service, the Hesperus Sports Club held information sessions for secondary school students of the Lhaviyani Atoll Education Centre, the staff of the Island Office and the Health Centre, and the Women’s Development Committee on how to browse the web and use its resources (fig. 4).

Cable Ser vice for Home Access

The second key activity of the project was to provide the Internet service to homes. A land survey was conducted by a technical company and, based on its report, the Hesperus Sports Club procured the necessary equipment and subcontracted to a local group to lay the cables on the island (fig. 5). Focus Infocom Pvt. Ltd. assisted with the installa-tion and testing of the equipment. The net-work uses a 500 coaxial cable for the trunk line, RG-11 coaxial cables for distribution to the boxes, RG-6 cables to the houses, and good outdoor-quality splitters and taps. Focus Infocom Pvt. Ltd. provided the services of configuring CMTC, procuring

Figure 3 The cybercafé established on Hinnavaru under the SSGF project provides Internet, printing and scanning facilities.

Figure 4 Awareness-raising sessions conducted for secondary students at the Hesperus Cybercafé.

Figure 5

Local people laying the cables for the network.

and configuring a bandwidth manager for distributing bandwidth equally, and con-figuring and installing the proxy server. Test signals were sent in November 2006 to the 41 subscribers of the service. Although the service was officially inaugu-rated on 26 November, troubleshooting continued and the service was provided free of charge until 31 December 2006. At the time of inauguration, the customer base consisted of three public entities (the Island Office, the Health Centre and the Television Maldives bureau) and 38 private parties/households.

Cable Television

Although not entirely funded by the SSGF project, the Hesperus Sports Club also started a cable television service to interested subscribers through the net-work laid for the Internet service. The Club entered into an agreement with a national cable television provider to offer 21 channels through the network, and the service is available either with or without the Internet.

AC H I E V E M E N T S

Since the start of this project, the Hinnavaru community has become much more conversant with Internet usage, and Internet resources are being used extensively for education purposes, with students accounting for 75 per cent of users (fig. 6). The information sessions conducted for various segments of poten-tial users proved to be successful in mak-ing them aware of the uses of the Internet and generated demand for the service. Teachers, parents, office workers and others now use the Internet for e-mail, school projects, trade, to acquire general information and for various other purpos-es. With affordable Internet access, people have been able to expand their knowl-edge base and create links with the rest of the country and the world.

Because the quality of the cable network that was established for the direct home service enabled the Hesperus Sports Club to expand its use and provide cable television services as well, the monopoly situation that had previously existed in this business has been challenged and the

Figure 6 Youth browsing the Internet at home.

Internet and Television Services

Internet Cable TV Internet + Cable TV

No. of subscribers 40 131 29 Monthly charges Rf 250 Rf 100* Rf 300

*The Hesperus Sports Club is currently offering the cable TV service at cost (Rf 90).

community is benefiting from lower prices for the service.

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TH E PR O C E S S

The project was planned by the members of the Hesperus Sports Club with a focus on restoring a service that had previously been provided and “building back better” by extending the service. A survey to ascertain community views was

conduct-ed after funding had been securconduct-ed for the initial proposal.

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The NGO, the Hesperus Sports Club, was supported by the Island Office, the Island Development Committee and the relevant government agencies, including the Ministries of Information and Communication, which facilitated the requisite permits for establishing the services on the island. A partnership was formed with the national Internet service Comments from Beneficiaries on Hinnavaru

Ibrahim Ismail, School Teacher

“Initially we didn’t have Internet facilities which can be used from our home. When the cybercafé opened, they installed a line to every house; because of that we get it at home. As I am a teacher, I get a lot of information when I browse the sites and I try to make the best use of the information even in preparing a test paper and making teaching aids. Even the students are benefiting a lot in getting infor-mation. They can also get access to Edexcel past exam papers, which further enhances their knowledge and they do sample papers online. I can also e-mail a friend abroad to ask him what he wants and it is easy to see how he is doing and to maintain healthy personal relationships due to this facility.”

Abdulla Naail, 14 Years Old, Eighth-grade Student

“I study chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, computer studies, Dhivehi and Islam and get infor-mation on these subjects. I get a lot of inforinfor-mation on biology and chemistry and I can also retrieve past papers with the help of the Internet. I also use the Internet to get information regarding what is happening around the world and also on sports news and football, which is my hobby.”

Abdulla Yoosuf, Assistant Island Chief

“We have benefited a lot from this project; many houses have got the Internet facility now and they are using this facility to the maximum. Especially the students and the youth are involved in this project and as a means of expanding the services of the cybercafé, they have started to provide cable TV service, which has been getting tremendous support from the local community. The network is also good and even the service provided by them is very good.”

provider, Focus Infocom Pvt. Ltd., and a provider of domestic cable television.

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Given that advanced telecommunication services are not yet available on many islands in the Maldives, this project broke the geographical barrier to efficient com-munication and access to information by using satellite and cable technology. Affordable access to the Internet, which is today’s most efficient gateway to infor-mation and communication, has meant that students, teachers and health profes-sionals, among others, have been able to expand their knowledge base and create links with the rest of the country and the world. This has paved the way for a more dynamic environment in their various spheres of influence.

A challenge to the plan to generate a net income from the cable television business (for reinvestment in additional development activities) remains. In the Maldives, cable television has been dom-inated at the national level by one main party, and this has forced small providers to obtain packages from it. This has made the business a very low-margin one, par-ticularly if there is competition at the island level. However, as the Government is in the process of introducing new regu-lations to govern the industry, the NGO remains optimistic that it will be able to lessen its operational costs in the future.

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• As in most successful projects, raising awareness of the use and benefits of the service creates demand and generates positive results. Continuous efforts are needed to generate more interest and further increase the customer base.

• Strong research on both input costs

and the target market is imperative at the proposal/planning stage in order to tailor community projects to the needs of potential customers in a cost-effective manner.

• It is necessary to allow sufficient lead time for the timely delivery of materials in a country such as the Maldives, where no organized inter-island transportation system exists.

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The provision of home Internet service can be replicated on any island with a population and means of income suffi-cient to enable the use of such facilities.

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With the popularity of the cable service, there is a demand for further expansion of the network to more areas of the island, which the Hesperus Sports Club will consider if the funds can be generated.

The NGO also has ideas about attempt-ing an intra-island telephone service on this network if the requisite resources can be obtained cost-effectively.

The Club has approached the United Nations Development Programme for funds to support further awareness-rais-ing about the Internet to broaden its customer base.

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Interim Progress Reports, February 2006 and 28 June 2006.

Final Report, 17 February 2007. Other project documents.

Interview with beneficiaries, July 2007. Interview with Hesperus Sports Club president, September 2007.

Contacts:

Case Study Documented by:

Shafeenaz Abdul-Sattar

E-mail: shafeenaz_sattar@hotmail.com

Project Contact: