Bluetown

Product Description

Bluetown is a connectivity solution for rural and remote areas. It is a hybrid solution containing last-mile Wi-Fi network, local cloud and satellite communication in a single unified product. The core of the solution is a solar-powered base station with satellite transmission that establishes a Wi-Fi hotspot large enough to cover a village.

Target SDGs

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household, Community

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), GoIP Global Services, MarcaTel, Danida (the Danish International Development Agency), Geeks Without Frontiers, PlanBørnefonden, IIDA (International Insurance Development Agency), Digital for Inclusion, Yahsat

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include BRCK.

Manufacturing/Building Method

Bluetown installs masts about 6 to 24 m high with satellite dishes attached. The masts are powered by solar cells. Bluetown provides connectivity in a radius of about 200 m. The local cloud provides access to local digital content and services at no data cost to the end-users.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademark

User Provision Model

Through various partners

Distributions to Date Status

In 2017, Bluetown had 30 masts installed in India with between 50 and 2,000 users per mast.

Design Specifications

Bluetown base stations are designed to operate in harsh conditions and require minimal maintenance. Bluetown solution consists of 6-24 m towers and base systems with satellite dishes. The towers connect to existing telco infrastructure via either microwave link, optical fiber cables, or satellite. The solution is 100?% solar-powered. During nighttime, rechargeable batteries secure online access. The solution partly consists of simple standard components.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Contact the manufacturer

Replacement Components

Unknown

Lifecycle

Unknown

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Bluetown wants to provide online access to the almost 4 billion people living without Internet in developing countries.

Vetted Performance Status

In 2018, Bluetown deployed a total of 742 sites in Jharkhand, India, in collaboration with the publicly owned Indian mobile network operator BSNL and the Government of Jharkhand. Every day, end-users receive 30 minutes of free internet access for exploring the web.

Safety

N/A

Complementary Technical Systems

Link to the existing infrastructure, either using fiber, microwave, or satellite link

Academic Research and References

None

Compliance with regulations

Bluetown needs permission to operate from the local authorities

Evaluation methods

Number of deployed nodes and people served

Other Information

None