Carlos Rey-Moreno from the Association for Progressive Communications will present the School of IT seminar with a talk entitled, "Zenzeleni Networks, from research to practice"
 

Abstract: Zenzeleni is a social innovation ecosystem through which rural communities have ownership of their telecommunication businesses, allowing them to maximise the benefits and value thereof. Its roots are founded in post-graduate doctoral research at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Subsequently, it became a UWC spin-off in partnership with the Mankosi community, in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the Eastern Cape. This ecosystem is managed by a non-profit organisation, Zenzeleni Networks NPC, which ensures that the needs of the community are fulfilled. This includes: a) the deployment and use of affordable technologies that community members can install, maintain and operate; b) the co-creation of a local business whose income is re-invested back into the community; c) knowledge transfer, uptake and transferring of skills; d) ensuring access to a reliable backhaul network, that is scalable and managed in a way that increasingly reduces user costs, thereby ensuring a higher retention of local income within the community; and e) ongoing engagement with the broader telecommunication ecosystem to ensure compliance, access opportunities and efficiencies. The first Internet Service Provider (ISP) in this ecosystem, Zenzeleni Networks Mankosi Co-op ltd, is a demonstrated proof of its potential, as it currently connects 3500 people and 8 institutions, offering prices as cheap as 20 times lower than those offered by existing operators.

Carlos Rey-Moreno, PhD, received a BSc in telecommunications engineering, UC3M, a MSc in Development and International Relations, AAU, and a MSc and PhD in Telecommunications Networks for Developing Countries, URJC, in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2015, respectively. In 2007-2011, he worked at the EHAS Foundation on rural broadband telemedicine networks in Spain, Peru and Malawi. In 2012, moved to UWC (South Africa) and lived in rural areas understanding people’s communication usage and expenditure. This led to the co-creation of Zenzeleni Networks, the first community-owned ISP in rural South Africa. In studying how to scale Zenzeleni, he has co-organised the two Summits of Community Networks in Africa, authored an in-depth report on the topic, as well as co-ordinated the African component of the LibreRouter. Currently, he is with the Association for Progressive Communications coordinating a project aimed at enabling the conditions for community networks to flourish in the global south.