Open source projects, co-developed by thousands of programmers, and shared through creative licensing which demands covenants of behavior rather than financial consideration from the licit community of users, have transformed the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Examples of such projects include the famous Linux operating system, the Apache web server, databases such as MySQL, the Firefox web browser, and the Meraki wireless router.

You make money not by selling open source, but by using open source. Rent extraction from the process of innovation is reduced, transactions costs are minimized and developers focus their resources on creating revenue by providing products and services and enlarging markets. Today new actors, including farmers and small-to-medium enterprise, can use open source to create viable innovations relevant to their needs.

The project "Community Microtelcos:Telecommunications and Microfinances for The Poor and The Poorest" will in particular employ an extremely economical open source technology (CUWiN, Meraki) which support all Web2.0 services and the Wireless Commons License (WCL) which describes the terms and conditions of use. This project will provide rural families with access to telecommunications and financial services in their communities for the first time. The mobile technology has raised new possibilities for service delivery in fields such as microlending, health care, education, agricultural information, e-government, legal services, human rights and social justice.

The CUWiN Project

CUWiN's mission is to help bridge the digital divide by developing low-cost, open source, wireless technologies and making them available to community and municipal networks. CUWiN networks have been established in urban settings like Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., as well as rural places like the Mesa Grande Indian Reservation near San Diego, California, and Apirede, Ghana.

Meraki Networks

Meraki Networks develop products and services that allow people to deploy wireless networks without a lot of time, money or expertise. Meraki Networks was founded to help disseminate work from the MIT Roofnet project, with the hopes of bringing free or low-cost Internet access to people around the world. Meraki's hardware platforms are open, and we encourage others to modify and extend them.

The Wireless Commons License

The Wireless Commons License (WCL) describes the terms and conditions of the free and open networks, so enables individuals, communities, organizations, companies, governments or any type of organization to adopt or support this License.