Inveneo

Inveneo™ Announces New Solar-Powered PC and Communications System for Rural and Remote Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Inveneo
Kristin Peterson
+1.415-901-1969 ext. 1210
kristin.peterson@inveneo.org

San Francisco, CA USA – March 13, 2006 – Inveneo Inc., a non-profit social enterprise, announced today the availability of its new Inveneo Communications System™ designed to provide computing, Internet Access and VoIP telephony for places with little or no access to electricity or affordable communications. The Inveneo System is specifically designed to meet the needs of NGOs (Non-Government Organizations), local governments and private entities and the communities they serve. It can be used for a wide range of applications that include economic and community development, telehealth, education, humanitarian aid and emergency relief.

More than 2.5 billion people live in rural and remote areas of developing countries where access to communications is severely limited. Source: ITU-D Worldwide Survey 2004

“We’ve designed this system based on our work over the past 2 years with NGOs and villagers,” said Mark Summer, CEO of Inveneo. “It’s our goal to make ICT more affordable and accessible so that organizations have the long-needed tools to better deliver vital development, education and health services to rural communities.”

The Inveneo Communications System — currently deployed in remote villages in Uganda in partnership with ActionAid International — consists of the Communications Station and the Hub Station, two modular components that combine to provide a complete, out-of-the-box ICT solution.

The Communications Station is designed for use by end-users in a village home, school, or clinic setting. It provides computing, telephony and Internet access. The Hub Station is designed for use by a network administrator and is located in a regional location. It is used to manage the network and to provide connectivity to data and voice services.

NGOs, governments and other organizations operating in rural environments need ICT solutions that fit their unique situation. Inveneo’s innovative solution has been engineered to meet these needs by integrating proven hardware and open-source software to create a rugged, resilient and simple-to-operate solution. It is designed to resist dust, moisture and heat. It is powered on 12V DC and operates on virtually any power source, including solar, hydro, wind and bicycle generator. It uses a high-capacity battery to ensure consistent operation, even when the power source is unreliable. With ultra-low power usage, low-cost, off-the-shelf hardware and the Asterisk open-source software, the Inveneo Communications System is affordable to purchase and sustainable to operate.

The System enables a network to be built around a cluster of rural locations, enabling the people in these remote locations to use a computer and communicate via phone and Internet to each other and the outside world. The locations are connected wirelessly using long-distance WiFi to a central hub station which manages the broadband local area network and local VoIP calls (using Asterisk) and connects with Internet and telephone networks via satellite, cellular or ISP/PSTN services.

In accordance with Inveneo’s open-source philosophy, and in order to maximize the availability of this ICT solution for remote communities, all design information and software is freely available at Inveneo’s website: www.inveneo.org.

“Our experience on hundreds of projects in over 40 developing countries has shown that there is a clear need for ICT solutions like Inveneo’s Communications System,” stated Chris Rovero of Winrock International.

“It’s great to see Asterisk’s role in helping under-served communities through Inveneo’s solution,” said Mark Spencer, creator of Asterisk and Founder/CEO of Digium. He adds, “Free, open-source software allows individuals and organizations to adapt highly reliable and proven software for their specific needs anywhere in the world.”

Pricing and Availability

The Inveneo Communications System is available starting March 14th from http://store.inveneo.org or by contacting Inveneo at sales@inveneo.org.

The open source design specifications and software are available from http://www.inveneo.org/?q=pdos.

About Inveneo

Inveneo is a San Francisco-based, non-profit social enterprise whose mission is to empower people in remote and under-served communities, and the organizations that serve them, through access to computing and communications. We design, integrate, and deploy affordable, sustainable, and open Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions for rural environments. Inveneo partners with local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), local governments, and private enterprises to deliver solutions for development, telehealth, relief, and education applications.

Our team has created the first affordable, solar-powered, easy-to-install system for building Internet and telecommunications networks in rural areas with little or no access to electricity or other affordable communications infrastructure.