Solar-powered cyber cafes come to Zambia

People in Zambia's remote rural areas without Internet access will now be able to access Internet services following the delivery of solar-powered cyber cafés to the country by Computer Aid International.

The Internet cafés dubbed ZubaBox have been sent to Zambia and Kenya to help rural communities access the Internet, boost IT skills and education. During most rural communities in Zambia are already connected to mobile communications, Internet penetration has been slow due to lack of power from the national grid to power computers.

The ZubaBox is a shipping container fitted with a thin client computing system running about 11 computers and powered by solar panels. The container, costing more than $35 000, can take computers and Internet across areas where there is no wired Internet connectivity or electricity.

Computer Aid International is a UK-based non-profit organisation whose aim is to reduce poverty through information and communication technologies.

The ZubaBox uses satellite connectivity

The ZubaBox uses satellite connectivity and each box contains refurbished Pentium 4 computers with 3GB or RAM, advanced solar-power system as then as sockets for recharging up to 10 mobile phones and capacity for VSAT modem or printer among others.

Anja Ffrench, Computer Aid International's director of marketing and communications, says: “Computer Aid International is committed to removing the barriers to ICT access to developing countries.”

Ffrench said Zambia and Kenya were chosen as the first recipients of the ZubaBoxes as Computer Aid International works with longstanding partners in each of the three countries who trialled the first three trial ZubaBoxes. Anja said internet access is provided through rural Wi-Fi network. The fourth container is in the near future expected to be sent to Murtala Muhammed Foundation in Nigeria, according to Ffrench.

The ZubaBox

The ZubaBox, she said, has been designed to help rural communities access IT and Internet, which can have a huge impact on poverty reduction.

A mess network system in the ZubaBox can allow users in a 1.5-kilometre radius to access the Internet during plans are as well underway to extend the network to over a 30-kilometre radius.