Stakeholder Relations and Ownership of a Community Wireless Network: The Case of iNethi

Farao, Jaydon; Burse, Monet; Mthoko, Hafeni; Densmore, Melissa

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51051-0_13

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It appears that most initiatives are initiated by or with the assistance of external organizations that support the connectivity needs of a community then suggest a solution making partnerships inevitable. Farao et al (2020:188) suggest that “Consolidating the relationship between formal ownership, which is often conferred by external stakeholders, and psychological ownership, that needs to be created within community stakeholders, is a key component, and challenge, in creating ownership of a community network”…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The third dimension identified in the characterization of connectivity initiatives is organization. This dimension calls for analysis of the organizational structure, collaborative capacity, licensing and compliance, and funding (see also Farao et al, 2020). A community network is established through collaborative efforts of many stakeholders.…”

Section: Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Gwaka

Haseki

Yoo

2022

Information Development

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The mounting evidence that current efforts to meet international goals for increasing Internet connectivity are likely to fall short has heightened interest in alternative connectivity models such as community networks. Already, there are many such initiatives globally taking differentiated approaches towards their setup and operation. This results in fragmented knowledge on the initiatives and systematic analysis of these models is limited. This study applies the People, Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) framework to examine 21 community networks across countries in different continents to produce insights into their structure and components. The aim is to identify ways in which initiatives become sustainable. Data for the study were collected in two steps. First, qualitative data were gathered using in-depth interviews to produce a database of case studies. Second, the qualitative data were quantized, which enables the researchers to produce descriptive data. Overall, the study findings demonstrate the existence of several technology options, but the main technology used for community level connectivity is Wi-Fi. Initiatives also adopt different organizational approaches, but strategic partnerships are critical for the success of the initiatives. While strategic partners provide support for the initial set up lack of business models affect the sustainability of initiatives. Also, while environment-related issues (regulation, infrastructure) play a significant role, they are malleable as shown by changes in regulatory regimes. This study findings are useful to practitioners implementing community networks, researchers looking to gain more insights on these models and policy makers responsible for the telecommunication, and digital policies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Gwaka

Haseki

Yoo

2022

Information Development

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Networked Micro-services: Empowering Local Micro-enterprises in a South African Township Through Community Wireless Networks

Iitumba,

Mthoko,

White

et al. 2024

Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Rural Uncommoning

Bidwell

2021

ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact.

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Shared use of small-scale natural commons is vital to the livelihoods of billions of rural inhabitants, particularly women, and advocates propose that local telecommunications systems that are oriented by the commons can close rural connectivity gaps. This article extends insights about women's exclusion from such Community Networks (CNs) by considering ‘commoning’, or practices that produce, reproduce and use the commons and create communality. I generated data in interviews and observations of rural CNs in seven countries in the Global South and in multi-sited ethnography of international advocacy for CNs. Male biases in technoculture and rural governance limit women's participation in CNs, and women adopt different approaches to performing their communal identity while using technology. This situation contributes to detaching CNs from relations that are produced in women's commoning. It also illustrates processes that co-opt the commons in rural technology endeavours and the diverse ways commoners express their subjectivities in response.

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Stakeholder Relations and Ownership of a Community Wireless Network: The Case of iNethi

Cited by 5 publications

References 24 publications

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Networked Micro-services: Empowering Local Micro-enterprises in a South African Township Through Community Wireless Networks

Rural Uncommoning

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