Re: <nettime> Internet in Cambodian village

["andrew garton [c2o]" <agarton@c2o.org>]

>From the net-archives:

A email and conferencing network hub was up and running in Cambodia as
early as 1994. There were no press releases, no international
spokespersons, no newspapers, no television. 

The hub utilised the rigorous features of FidoNet, which I believe is
still popular in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. 

This humble computer polled another computer in Sydney a couple of times a
day. The Sydney hub (Pactok) would then transfer email and news postings
to another computer in Brisbane (Pegasus Networks) which in turn sent the
message out to their respective destinations on the Internet. 

An even earlier email hub, using WAFFLE, was performing remarkably well in
Phnom Penh. This was established sometime around 93. This same hub is
still operational, although no longer based on WAFFLE, and is almost
exclusively used by NGOs and not-for-profits in Phnom Penh. 

Of course, the UN had an exceptional network established throughout
Cambodia when it monitored the elections there quite some years back now.
I recall this being an optical network which, despite its physical
presence, could not and has not been made available for public use. 

-andrew. 

c2o
 - Community Communications Online       | Andrew Garton
 - PO Box 304                            | agarton@c2o.org
 - Richmond 3121 Victoria AUSTRALIA      | http://www.c2o.org



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