Foundation Projects

The Nepal Wireless Networking Project was informally started by Mahabir Pun as a team leader with the technical support of foreign volunteers in 2002. After 2005, the project was working formally with E-Networking Research and Development for implementing the project. It took almost one and half year for the project team members to learn how to build long range Wi-Fi link.

It connected the first village in 2002 to the Internet using simple indoor Wi-Fi radio (Dlink 900AP) and satellite TV dish as modified antenna. The range of the first link was 40 km from the nearest city called Pokhara where Internet connectivity was available. By 2005, the project had connected 22 villages to the network and provided tele-medicine services in two rural clinics by connecting them to a hospital in the city. As of mid 2012, the project had connected 140 villages in 15 districts of Nepal. The number of schools connected in those villages is 80 and the clinics is 10.

It was expanding the Wi-Fi network to more villages and by end of 2012, there were at least 175 villages connected in the wireless network and to the Internet. The Nepal Wireless Networking Project was not limited to connect the villages with wireless technology. It was also working hard to develop different application to provide useful ICT services for rural residents. Additionally, it was involved in research and development activities such as making simple ECG machine, developing a poacher monitoring system in the national parks, and developing a trekker tracking system in the mountain trails using wireless technology.