According to Alex Steffen of Worldchanging there’s a growing movement to create new networking solutions for poverty- or disaster-stricken areas.

Green Wifi is the latest effort to join this movement. Their brief is to use available technologies to create a rugged, low-cost, solar-powered wifi system for the developing world:

A number of non profit entities focus on addressing the digital divide by providing internet access to developing areas. Green WiFi addresses one of the biggest barriers to success: the lack of reliable electricity in developing areas required to power the network. Green WiFi has developed a low cost, solar-powered, standardized WiFi access solution that runs out-of-the-box with no systems integration or power requirements. All that is required is a single source of broadband access. Green WiFi nodes can then be deployed on rooftops to form a self-healing network that hops the source signal over a virtual 802.11b/g grid. Because these nodes require no fixed installation or power tie-ins, these nodes can form an unplanned, mobile grid that can grow or be relocated as needed. …last mile internet access with nothing more than a single broadband internet connection, rooftops and the sun.