Originally posted on the TechSoup Blog.

Here's a photo of a directional antenna that can transmit Wi-Fi Internet several miles. Anyone can build one with materials from a hardware store; you can even download the blueprint online for free. Over the past 18 months or so, the antennas have been appearing around Jalalabad, a former Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Of the ways in which it differs from a traditional wireless access point, the most profound is that it lacks an electronics company logo. It wasn't created by a government either, but it could become the new symbol of infrastructure rebuilding in Afghanistan and around the world.

The organization behind the antennas is Fab Lab, an international network of community workshops. Fab Lab helps residents install the antennas and, even more importantly, learn how to use them. These may not be the most sophisticated antennas, but they work. They're inexpensive and easy to repair, qualities more important in Afghanistan than a good warranty.