Swan, there's no dispute about what's happening in Africa. For years we've seen stories by the score, about how newfound connectivity has been an enabler. Micropayments. Agriculture and marketing. Online transactions of many kinds. And so on ...
Yes, you can split off strands of fiber and provide wireless communication to whole new low-population areas, previously unreached. But that has capital and operating costs. There has to be a business case.
"it is not the same old same old set up ... This will be empowering and can change politics rapidly... as I said salient."
"Knowing the Chinese... this may NOT be an unintended consequence."
— No business case? Some entity -- government, an appendage of China, or a mysterious sponsor -- will pay to build and operate, without profit?
— '...change politics rapidly'. Possibly, but as you've proposed, in low-population remote areas. And not until the connectivity is built, running, and paid for.
— And let's not forget internet censorship, à la Iran, China, Russia, and more.
Your quote: "Because they are building fiber like crazy along the railways and power lines. With fiber in place, the rest is easy. Power lines do not cross the urban areas. Rail lines and pipelines are way out of the beaten tracks. Thus they are close to the hard to connect populations in the middle nowhere."
And then: '... I am investigating high speed for the boonies myself.'
Easy low-cost trenching -- like elmat's in Africa -- doesn't apply to Canada. Especially across miles of tundra. Still, this post may give you some perspective on '...high speed for the boonies'.
Not so easy, and not cheap.
Jim |
