A Review of the Siyakhula Living Lab’s Network Solution for Internet in Poor Communities

Changes within ICT over the past decade required a review of the network solution deployed in the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL), a joint venture between the Universities of Fort Hare and Rhodes, focussed on finding blueprints for sustainable e-infrastructure in poor communities. The review found that the topology used in the SLL’s network is still viable but WiMAX is now outdated. Also, the in-network cache, Squid, is no longer effective, given the switch to HTTPS, the strong presence of advertising, and the data weight of current web pages. The solution to the first issue is outdoor Wi-Fi, a proven solution easily deployable in grass-roots fashion. The second issue can be cured leveraging Squid’s ‘bumping’ and splicing features; deploying a browser extension to make picture download optional; and using Pi-hole, a DNS sinkhole. Hopefully, the revised solution could become a component of South African Government’s broadband plan, “SA Connect”.