Advance use of Mikrotik in
Danish rural area Wireless networks
Presentation at the MUM 2006 in
Dallas Texas
By
Niels Sorensen
Denmark
Representing: DjurslandS.net / DIIRWB.net / WSFII.net
RanumNet.dk / SevelNet.dk / Powerline.dk / Platform.dk
Who?
• Niels Christian Sørensen (Danish ø)
• 15 years experience in Computer
Science
• Wireless pioneer since 2000 together
with DjurslandS.net
• Live in rural area.
• Employed at Aalborg University
• Developing community and
Commercial Wireless solutions
• IT Consultant company: Platform.dk
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Why?
• Used Mikrotik for Commercial and
community solutions since 2003
• Wireless Hotspots in harbours
• “Network master” for DjurslandS.net
from 2003 to 2005
• Developed commercial solutions with
Powerline 2004-6 - selling good
• Designed and build SevelNet
• Founder of RanumNet
• Participating in DIIRWB / WSFII
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Denmark - Geography lesson
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Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Denmark - Facts!
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• 5.427.459 (5 mill) people (jan. 06)
• Highest point 130m (1000 feet)
• High living standard and general
social infrastructure
• High IT infrastructure in urban
areas
• Lower Infrastructure in rural areas
• State wants to guarantee IT
• Powercompanies go telecom
• IT and Telecom is relatively
expensive
• 3.610.100 phonelines
• 4.785.300 Cell phones
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Denmark - no internet?
• Generally promise of up to 95% DSL
coverage by Telecom
• ~ 81% have a computer
• ~ 83% have access to Internet
• ~ 50% access to Internet at home
• Rural areas with communities of op to
50.000 only 75%
• Tendency to “await fiber solution” as
solution in rural areas
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Why worry?
• IT underdevelopment in rural areas
equals de-population
• Social deroute in rural areas
• 2 urban cities tendency:
• Copenhagen
• Aarhus
• Commercially unattractive
• Fiber roll-out takes many years
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
My Wireless Denmark
RanumNet
DjurslandS.net
DIIRWB (WSFII)
SevelNet
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Mikrotik in use as Community
and Commercial solutions
• Communities:
– lack of enough volunteer experts
– Money matters
• Commerce:
– Most “professional” solutions are
expensive especially CPE
– Problems with 802.11a/b/g and
telephony solutions
– ...
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Community solutions?
• Volunteer based Communities:
• Tired of waiting
• Ready to “do it yourself” (or
together)
• Heard / read about / seen similar
solutions all over the world
• Unwilling to pay the expensive
fiberbased solutions - if it comes
• Used to TV by satellite
• Denmark has Community culture
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net?
• Wireless ”rural area” network in Denmark
• Currently 3.800 homes online
• 300+ access points for distribution and 250+ MT
• Started in 1993
• Started as ”Bøvl” (”Computer troubles”)
• Kazakstan 1999 - Unemployed and disabled
Danes helps building IT educational centers in 5
schools.
• Lithuania project 2000 – Same concept
• Bjarke Nielsen
(Funder of DjurslandS.net)
had a vision
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - the Vision
The vision in 10 points:
• Keep and expand the citizens quality of life
• Keep and attrackt more population to the rural area Djursland
• Expand the rent ability for the companies of Djursland
• Ensure, expand and attract new business to the area
• Create possibilities for new business e.g. telecommuting
• Avoid youth de-population by maintaining competitive jobs
• Maintain and attract new tourism
• Create a good living environment - also for elderly and disabled
• Prevent a long term decade - a low property zone mainly
inhabited by elderly and socially disabled. A Digital divide.
• Participate in create a whole Denmark in front in the IT society
for generations to come.
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Demographics
• Denmark:
• Population: 5.4 million people
• Total Area: 43905 m2
• Population density: 124,6 people/km2
• Djursland:
• Population: 82.420 people
• Total area: 1.491 km2
• Population density: 57,6 people/km2
Approx. 1/2 of the general density.
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - the Movie
Niels - please show us the movie!
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Gear talk
• Started with Linksys allover
• Backhaul was 2,4GHz now 5GHz
• Clients mostly cheap Ovislink 2,4GHz
• Starting to replace and expand using
Mikrotik and 5GHz clients
• Longest link 15km carries 20Mb FD
• Fiber backbone ties it all together
• 60 Mb Internet Access
• “Fair Share” internet access of typ. 2/2Mb
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Backbone
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net Development
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Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Coverage
2004
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Most
interesting links
15km
8km
11km
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Most
interesting links bw
40Mb/s
20Mb/s
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net?
Niels - Show us some images
from Djursland
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - Mikrotik
• Mikrotik “saved” the project
• User divide on routing platform
• Too few “Linux nerds”
• Started “borrowing” M$ server for routing
• Met Dmitry and John, CeBIT 2003
• Moved focus from platforms to learning
how to route
• Superusers can easily learn simple tasks
in WinBox
• We “nerds” may still “fool around” in shell
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DjurslandS.net - People
• 100% non-commercial
• 100% build by volunteers
• 100% growth expected the next 2 years
• Users still pay $320,- and $16,- / month
• STILL NO HIRED STAFF
• 300+ Volunteers build everything
• No fond finances, no help from
government
• Locals make “computer clubs all over”
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
RanumNet.dk
• Moved “back to my new hometown”
• Started with link from my brother to
my new house
• The rest of town say the antennas
• Founded January 2006
• Same Principe as Djurs but 5GHz
and Mikrotik only running NStream
• Will include VoIP
• Cost: $500,- and $16,- month
• First link to remote island made
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
SevelNet.dk - Commercial
• Powerline sold solution to the City
• City had an “Investment community”
that wished to finance the infrastructure,
ROI = 3 years
• First 25 CPE is running with VoIP
• Next 50 is arriving from Latvia soon
• Further 100 is ordered
• Cost without Voip: $150,- / $26,- month
• Cost with VoIP: $200,- / $30,- month
• Mikrotik based backhaul and CPE
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Broadband in Denmark
• Power companies ”go Telecom
• They use billions of $ digging fiber
• States publicly that every home is FTTH
enabled within a few year
• Logistically impossible
• Minimum 10 years before the farms in
Denmark is FTTH enabled
• Using inferiour PON fiber solution
• Still a big marked for wireless
• No need yet for TV on demand (illigal)
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Farmers in Denmark whining
”Being a farmer
without broadband
sucks”
”Rural areas needs
speed on the
internet”
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
HiSpeed Internet cost
• Even IF the Power/Telecom guys get there, a fiber internet
connection is not cheap
• Focus on speed, not price
• Typicaly twice the price of DSL
• DSL in denmark starts around $60,- / month – flatrate
• Telephone monthly fixed fee is $20,- and then you start
paying pr. minute
• ”Do it together” wireless solution has an ROI of 1 (one) year
in Denmark
• A commercially is absolutely feasible:
– RouterBoards as hardware
– MT-OS as firmware
– 5GHz (802.11a – 1W) radio technology
– Need Cheap good buildin antennas in Danmark
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
DIIRWB / WSFII
• DIIRWB = Djursland International Institute of
Wireless Broadband
• DjurslandS.net created education facility
• Teaching internationally how to build Wireless
Rural area networks
• “Hands on” courses combined with theory
• Part of the WSFII = “World Summit on Free
Information Infratructures, supported directly by
Kofir Annan
• EU funding supports the idea
• Part of the Baltic Rural Broadband Project
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Summercamp 2006
• Come join wireless geeks from all over the world,
community as well as commerce.
• In 2004 several hundred boys and girls came
from no less than 36 contries on ALL continents
• Workshops, seminars, hands-on experiments
• Build your own antenna and test it.
• Mesh, roam, link, share ideas and get new
inspiration in 100% informal surroundings.
• July 1-8 2006, Friland, Djurs, Denmark
• Arnis and I want to come and nerd MT 24/7
• Brochure available after this commercial
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
Summercamp - Agenda
Sorry
Not yet BUT
Niels, Please show us some
pictures from Freifunk
Sommerevent 2004
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006
More Information
(Thank you for listning)
DjurslandS.Net: http://www.djurs.net
SevelNet: http://www.sevel.net
RanumNet: http://www.ranumnet.dk
DIIRWB: http://diirwb.net
WSFII: http://www.wsfii.org
Commerciel solutions:
Niels C. Sorensen
niels@platform.dk
+45 2214 4077
Mikrotik in rural area networks - MUM Dallas, Texas 2006