X-Lab, an initiative directed by A4AI Advisory Council member Sascha Meinrath of New America Foundation, was recently featured in the African ICT publication Balancing Act for their innovative projects to connect communities in Somaliland and Tunisia using Mesh Wi-Fi software.
The software, called Commotion Wireless, allows routers, mobile phones and laptops to all communicate using a mesh network — communities can use these devices to build their own networks that either connect to the Internet or allows them to share information on local area networks.
X-Lab currently has two working projects servicing a rural school in Somaliland and an urban area in Tunisia and hopes to expand into other parts of Africa. You can read more about the project on Balancing Act.