Session Date/Time: 27 Jul 2022 14:00

gaia

Summary

The gaia session featured three presentations focusing on innovative approaches to bridging the digital divide and enhancing connectivity in underserved communities globally. Discussions centered on the technical and social challenges of deploying and sustaining community networks, utilizing advanced satellite technologies, UHF TV white spaces, and replicable community-led models. Key themes included autonomous network management, local content delivery, community engagement for sustainability, and the potential for IETF best practices or standards to guide future deployments.

Key Discussion Points

GAIA Charter and Objectives: The session began with a review of the IRTF and gaia group's charter, emphasizing long-term research on internet access for underserved populations, fostering shared visions, regulating collaboration, documenting experiences, and influencing IETF work.
Co-Chair Transition: Curtis Heimerl was introduced as a new co-chair, and Leandros stepped down from the role after this meeting, pledging continued participation.
Satellite Integrated Community Networks (SICNs) and Autonomous Maintainability (Peng Yu):
- Advanced Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, alongside MEO and GEO enhancements, enable high-quality internet to rural and remote areas, transforming Traditional Satellite-Dependent Community Networks (SDCNs) into SICNs.
- Identified significant "management gaps" in SICNs, including challenges related to performance metrics (latency, data rates, reliability), computational complexity (space asset dynamics, atmospheric conditions, system heterogeneity), emerging computing scenarios (SDN, SDR, AI), data scarcity for satellite management, security vulnerabilities, network management, and multi-stakeholder governance.
- Proposed "autonomous maintainability" (self-monitoring, diagnosis, and function maintenance) as essential, particularly given limited technical support in community networks.
- A hierarchical machine learning (ML) based approach was presented for anomaly identification (network intrusions, fault detection, localization, system reliability analysis) and mitigation. Proof-of-concept using an emulated SICN with BGP traffic showed promising results for ML algorithms (GRU, LSTM, XGBoost, Random Forest) in improving detection accuracy.
- Q&A Highlight: Discussions included the accuracy of broadband coverage maps (data source discrepancies), the applicability of complex ML for often simple failure modes in small community networks (e.g., power outages), and the environmental impact of increased satellite deployment (space junk acknowledged as a concern). Suggestions were made for using Linux namespaces for scaling simulations.
Resilient Educational Information Infrastructure for the New Normal (Project RAIN) (Philip Martinez):
- Addressed the challenge of remote education in the Philippines due to unreliable internet, exacerbated by the pandemic.
- Solution: Leveraged the impending analog-to-digital TV shift to utilize UHF TV channels (600-700 MHz, particularly Band 71) for internet connectivity and educational content delivery.
- Technology Demonstrators:
  - LocaLTE: A low-cost, small-scale LTE base station using Software Defined Radios (SDR) and Band 71 RF front-ends, often with satellite backhaul, to provide internet access and locally cached educational content in remote areas.
  - Rural Casting: Utilizes the ISDB-T digital TV standard's data casting feature to deliver digital educational content. Set-top boxes act as Wi-Fi hotspots and host Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Moodle, with teachers scheduling content via mini SDR-based transmitters.
- Expected social impacts include better connectivity, access to information, health literacy, and improved learning; economic impacts include revenue generation, market barrier elimination, and a more educated workforce.
- Challenges: Regulatory hurdles for government entities (DOST) performing quasi-telco functions, difficulties in importing commercial Band 71 equipment, and ensuring sustainable operational models beyond free Wi-Fi subsidies.
- Q&A Highlight: Interest in collaboration on similar projects and discussions on building capacity for internet literacy within communities.
N50 Nucleation Pilot at Luambo, Zambia (Kevin Schwartz & Rajeev Singh):
- The N50 Project, a consortium of 80+ organizations, aims to address the 3.9 billion people not using the internet, recognizing that access alone isn't enough (cost, quality, literacy, relevant applications are crucial).
- Approach: Focus on novel, replicable solutions at the edge, creating "recipes" for sustainable broadband adoption.
- Luambo Pilot: A small, remote community transitioned from 2G/sporadic 3G to 4G via a partnership with Africa Mobile Network (AMN), utilizing satellite backhaul.
- Interventions: Seeding the community with 4G-capable devices, deploying a replicable tech stack (Node B, EPC, radios, CDN, caching), and integrating diverse content partners (education, financial literacy, agriculture, health, religious content).
- Early Results: A 25% increase in 4G usage was observed, driven by relevant applications.
- Sustainability: Emphasized as paramount, achieved through community-defined goals, relevant applications, adoption measures, and viable business models that allow for market development and N50's "exit strategy."
- Q&A Highlight: Deep discussion on the socio-economic impacts of introducing technology, the importance of long-term community engagement, and co-design to mitigate negative effects (e.g., power imbalances, jealousy over device distribution). The need for a "readiness assessment" for communities and different learning tracks was also raised.
Cross-Presentation Discussion: Participants discussed the synergy between the different approaches and the potential for collaboration. Rajeev Singh highlighted the value of identifying technical challenges overcome in these projects for potential IETF standards or best practices to reduce risk and accelerate implementation of community networks. Kevin Schwartz reinforced N50's collaborative nature and the belief that diverse technical and adoption solutions are needed. The discussion also touched on N50's rapid deployment of Portable Connectivity Centers (PCCs) in Ukraine for displaced populations, providing flexible connectivity and services in challenging, mobile contexts.

Decisions and Action Items

Co-Chair Appointment: Curtis Heimerl formally accepted the role of gaia co-chair.
Mailing List Engagement: Participants were encouraged to join and engage with the gaia mailing list for continued dialogue.
Future Session on Project Curation: Kevin Schwartz offered to present a dedicated session on N50's project curation, community readiness, and impact measurement methodologies, which will be considered for a future meeting.

Next Steps

Collaboration: Presenters are encouraged to follow up with each other to explore potential collaborations given the synergies identified in their work.
IETF Standards/Best Practices: Initiate discussion on the gaia mailing list regarding specific technical challenges and solutions from community network deployments that could inform IETF standards, best practices, or RFCs, potentially leading to contributions.
Definition of Community Networks: Revisit and potentially elaborate on the definition of community networks within the context of IETF/IRTF, possibly leading to an update or a new RFC, building on existing work.
Community Readiness Assessment: Explore methods for quickly assessing community readiness for various learning and technology adoption tracks, leveraging experiences from N50 and other projects.