Remote region gets broadband internet against all odds
A small community in the Province of Turin has set up the first non-profit, independent internet provider in Italy.
A professor and his team have built a wireless internet network for their village, at a reduced cost - all to prove a point.
Take a look at the beautiful, rugged countryside of Verrua Savoia and you probably won't be surprised to learn that it's hard to get internet around here.
But high up, overlooking the valley below, an engineer is busy installing an internet antenna.
This is all thanks to Daniele Trinchero, electronics professor at the Polytechnic University of Turin, and his team of students.
As part of an experiment - started in 2006, in collaboration with the Polytechnic University in Turin - they built a wireless internet network for their village, using reconditioned parts.
The project was funded jointly by the two universities.
We wanted to demonstrate that it was possible to bring telecommunication services even at reduced costs simply by having a bit of good will and by using a bit of creativity, says Trinchero.
That was our main goal: showing that you can bring the internet where it is needed even when spending very little.
A student in one of the university's labs demonstrates how they built the first radio transmitter they used.
This is the computer, we added a radio card, you place it here and attach the 'pig tail', the antenna, that's it - it's finished, he says.
Five installations for less than 1,000 euros (1,185 US dollars) each were put in place across the town's hilltops to offer free internet to residents who wanted it.
But as the experiment neared its end on 31 December 2014, the villagers of Verrua Savoia took it upon themselves to keep their precious internet connection alive.
Trinchero has helped the citizens of Verrua Savoia create their own non-profit association called wireless without borders.
The association is the first in Italy to be considered an independent internet provider.
Each member must pay a yearly fee of 50 euros (50 US Dollars), which began on 1 January 2015.
The fee includes a 15-20 megabyte internet connection as well as classes for those who have never used the web - but essentially, Trinchero says, the internet connection itself is free.
Engineer, Enrico Guariso says he has installed many of the connections.
But many people were able to take care of the installations on their own, he adds.
When the experiment began in 2006, not everyone subscribed, but as time went on almost everyone has given it a try, explains Professor Trinchero.
He says that 300 households are now signed up - out of 650 families living in Verrua Savoia.
Trinchero, who is the president of the association, says about 10 people a day call him to ask about the service.
The association is managed by five administrators, including the president. Their tasks range from technical director, to customer services.
We registered (the association) as an Internet Service Provider. It's the first association registered in Italy as a communications operator, Trinchero says.
Our intention is to maintain what we have created with the Polytechnic University over the past four years: give out the internet for free to all members of the association across the entire city.
The connection in Verrua Savoia has changed many people's everyday life.
At Verrua Savoia's elementary school a boy presses brightly coloured buttons on a multimedia board at the front of the classroom.
He and his classmates are now able to play online educational games and use satellite maps when studying geography.
The experiment has forced me to learn new things. And just like them, I have become very fond of the system while learning a lot, says Cristina Cavanna who teaches at the school.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive: