The Internet Debate – Commodity or Necessity?

For the second article on our series that covers the projects that are aiming to cover the needs of a world that is becoming dependent on technology at a seemingly-uncatchable pace, we will discuss internet and the eternal debate on whether if it should be available to everyone, or to those that are able to afford it.

The access to internet has nearly become a basic necessity in today’s life, but certain regions in the world have astounding limitations to stay up to date with worldwide advancements, be it economical or in infrastructure. Most ISPs in regions like Latin America are quite expensive compared to the U.S. or Europe, and the affordable plans are way too slow to meet the requirements of modern life. This is the cause of half the world having no access to internet in their homes.

Another big issue is deeper than access and prices: the current model in entirely centralized, run on infrastructure that is difficult to upgrade and run by oligopolies that value revenue more than widening accessibility. This situation perpetuates and intensifies the current issues, making them almost impossible to solve without starting again from a clean slate.

Innovating Through Hardship

To solve the issues of unavailability and centralization, new models need to be tested and implemented, and Siglo is a company that aims to do exactly that: by implementing blockchain’s structure to create a P2P network of internet service, where the called Siglo Edge Nodes (SENs) act as connection spots, and every user has a vote in the auditing of the network functioning.

To incentivize the participation of users in the process, Siglo also created a system that gives them micro-rewards by performing tasks to upkeep the network, while also creating alternate roles that different users can play (referrers, installers, customer support contacts, trainers and many more). By doing this, they can motivate entire communities or neighborhoods to participate and create their own stable, decentralized internet networks without worrying about inflated costs, infrastructure and the risk of having their information stolen because of an attack on a traditional ISP.

Such a revolutionary solution requires the right terrain to be tested, and the Siglo team found it in Nezahualcoyotl, a densely populated suburb of Mexico City that is largely inhabited by emerging middle-class families, to which the promise of a stable, fast and locally managed internet connections seems like a step towards their goal of achieving economic prosperity.

This is the reason why a pilot of the project will be implemented in the neighborhood, to make effective assessments about the viability of the project with a gradually increasing number of participants, the stability of the model and the possibility of integrating local apps to the network. As the project moves forward and a controlled, organic path of growth is set, the intervention required from Siglo will be gradually reduced to the point of total independence, which is the ideal state of the network.

Crucial Building Blocks

To achieve their goal of a stable and high-performance network, solid foundations must be laid down. This is where entrepreneurs and tech-savvy enthusiasts step in, by lending more powerful machines to act as SENs, that have the responsibility of equally distributing the service from a Gigabit Backhaul in the form of E-Band, a frequency that is not too common in order to reduce interference.

From there, the network grows and adapts to the specific necessities of each community, allowing each user to take a role they deem necessary, while the auditing process works as a way to assess the effectivity of the current layout of the network, giving the users advice on how to make it more efficient.

Siglo is currently in a startup phase, looking for investors finance the establishment of the pilot, which has the ultimate goal of offering stable internet access to populations that were left behind by either physical infrastructure or elevated prices, projected to increase the available speeds from 12 Mbps to 100 Mbps without breaking out of the $20-$40 range. Should it be successful, Siglo could become a precedent to defend internet as a necessity instead of a commodity (much like clean water, electric energy and gas), while avoiding the tiresome debate with governments that may push back progressive projects like this to protect ways of income.

The society we are becoming, especially in an unusual situation like the one generated by the spread of Covid-19, makes it so internet is more essential with each day that passes, so it is possible that what we need is to move away from traditional models, break the walls and keep moving towards independence and decentralization.