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Group Members

  • Rebecca Odin
  • Sarah Rumbley
  • Maja Wichrowska
  • TA:

Problem Statement

At the end of 2011, it was estimated that only 13.8% of Africa's population had Internet access, but 65% had cellphones. The problem of building mobile networks in Africa is a complicated one due to demographic and climate patterns. Many African tribes are nomadic, often crossing country borders in search of water. Because cellphone networks are different in each country, many Africans carry multiple phones to avoid roaming charges. Boingo, a global market leader in WiFi, is seeking to expand into Africa to allow the population to use VoIP as a primary means of communication. Because it requires only an Internet connection, VoIP is a cheaper option, and would eliminate the need for one person to have multiple cell phones. Currently, Boingo has satellite coverage over much of Africa, but satellite communication is disrupted by rain. To improve their coverage, Boingo needs to find the most optimal locations to build WiFi towers by analyzing demographic and weather data.

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