Broadband network is envy of the west>By Geoff Nairn>Published: March 28 2006 16:30 | Last updated: March 28 2006 16:30>>Macedonia usually only hits the headlines when ethnic tensions erupt. But this small land-locked nationnow wants to project a more positive image as the world’s first “wireless country”.In four years, Macedonia has vaulted from being known as one of the poorest countries in Europe tobeing one of the most technologically advanced.Thanks to aid from foreign governments and commercial sponsors, Macedonia now has a computerlaboratory in each of its 430 schools and a nationwide broadband network that many richer westerncountries will envy.Rural schools which previously did not even have a telephone are today linked to the outside world viabroadband wireless.Macedonia claims to be the first country of its size to have a broadband wireless network covering 95per cent of its population. The network, based on Motorola technology, uses WiFi hot-spots to bringhigh-speed internet access to schools and villages, while mesh technology is used to blanket urban areas.The impetus for this project came from Boris Trajkovski, Macedonia’s former president, who died in2003. He was a strong believer in the need for Macedonian children to learn modern IT skills.In 2002, during an official visit to China, he secured a grant to equip the country’s schools withChinese-made computers. Microsoft later donated more than 6,000 licences for software.That in itself was a big leap forward. But Mr Trajkovski realised that without internet access, thechildren would remain at a disadvantage. He approached the US Agency for International Development(USAid) which has been funding projects in Macedonia for a decade.USAid engaged the Academy for Economic Development (AED), a US non-profit organisation, to bringinternet access to Macedonia’s schools. But the project faced a big barrier, namely the prohibitive costof internet access in Macedonia – more than €150 a month for a slow dial-up connection.According to Glenn Strachan, who directed the Macedonia Connects project for AED, the blame laywith Macedonia’s incumbent telecoms company, Maktel, which had the monopoly on the wiredinfrastructure and charged high prices.Page 1of 2FT.com / Technology / Digital Business -Broadband network is envy of the west3/29/2006http://financialtimes.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=FT.com+%2F+Tec...
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