Multiple dimensions of community network scalability

Diverse initiatives around the world show the feasibility to build bottom-up community networking infrastructures to join the Internet. However, an experimental network by and for hackers has very different implications at all levels compared to a general-purpose production network for an entire pop...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Baig Viñas, Roger|||0000-0001-9813-7678, Navarro Moldes, Leandro|||0000-0003-4775-5526, Roca Tió, Ramon
Tipo de recurso: capítulo de libro
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/416516
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/416516
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Scalability
Community networks
guifi.net
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Telemàtica i xarxes d'ordinadors
Descripción
Sumario:Diverse initiatives around the world show the feasibility to build bottom-up community networking infrastructures to join the Internet. However, an experimental network by and for hackers has very different implications at all levels compared to a general-purpose production network for an entire population. Scalability in the design of community networks (CNs) makes the difference between clubs with entry barriers of complexity and limited service and extensible network commons able to accommodate and serve every user in an area. In this paper, we analyse the overall strategies and tackle scalability from what we consider the four main dimensions of CNs: social, legal, economic, and technological dimensions. We utilise the experience and lessons learned from guifi.net and other CNs to illustrate the discussion and the ways to achieve scalability in CNs.