InternetNZ funds community wireless and research projects

InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) is pleased to announce it has awarded more than $45,000 of grants funding in its Community Projects Funding Round.

Funding recipients include the Digital Porirua Trust, Waikato University’s WAND Network Research Group and telecommunications consultant Jonathan Brewer.

The following three projects are being funded:

Cannons Creek Free Wireless Community - Digital Porirua
This project will create a free UFB wireless community in one of New Zealand’s poorest communities – Cannons Creek. Project Leader Tim Davies-Colley says InternetNZ’s funding will be used to install wireless equipment on top of existing fibre-optic infrastructure. The Digital Porirua Trust will work with both the Porirua City Council and SmartLinx3 to roll out the wireless network.

Mapping the New Zealand Internet - WAND Network Research Group
This project will fully ‘map’ New Zealand’s Internet infrastructure. Project leader Richard Nelson says while there exist several network maps of the global Internet, New Zealand has not been well covered because observation points are invariably overseas-based.

“A New Zealand Internet map has a variety of potential uses including communicating the nature of the Internet to the general public and investigating the structure of the country’s overall Internet infrastructure, particularly with respect to resiliency and peering. InternetNZ’s grant will provide the ability to showcase our measurement tools and present our data to the public,” he says.

Evaluating the Suitability of White Space Technology for Rural Telecommunications
This project will evaluate the suitability of using 802.22 wireless technology for rural telecommunications in New Zealand. It will explore the technology, regulatory environment, risk factors, affected markets, practical uses, and existing trials of the technology.

Project leader Jonathan Brewer notes that cognitive radio operating in whitespace spectrum is the next leap forward for wireless broadband. “InternetNZ's generous grant will help me research and publish on how this technology could be used to enhance and extend rural broadband networks," he says.

The focus of InternetNZ’s Community Projects Funding Round was on community-based projects that promote education and research related to the Internet, internetworking and widely and generally available access to the Internet.

The funding round was held between August and October 2011. 45 Expressions of Interest were received, seven of which were shortlisted.

Further details are available at www.internetnz.net.nz/communityprojects