Brainstorming the Village Telco Roadmap

= Village Telco Entrepreneur (VTE) Server =


 * assume we own the entire distro/server
 * live CD with USB drive configs

Voice Billing

 * A2Billing is a great start
 * Hack a new UI for A2Billing based on A2Billing UI code simplified for Village Telco needs
 * Leave the A2Billing-Asterisk integration intact
 * Design for simplicity - as few moving parts as possible
 * Avoid things like MySQL if possible
 * Generate PDF from voucher CSV file - allow for customisation (language, contact, etc)
 * Allow for VTE logo upload
 * Localisation built-in
 * Ability to generate a phone directory for the network
 * Every user must have a full telephone number whether they are externally connected or not

Mesh Deployment and Management

 * explore the adaptability of the Orange Mesh code to deploy and manage BATMAN nodes
 * develop for standalone management - Google Maps interface will need adaptation for non-connected environments
 * Provision the node to be part of the mesh: SSID and cell ID and IP address
 * Provision the phone to be part of the network:
 * Potato: generate extension from the MAC address

= Village Telco Entrepreneur (VTE) Nodes =

SuperNode = 3 Ubiquiti Nanostation 2


 * explore capacity of the Nanostation
 * verify whether ad hoc mode is stable enough to run BATMAN
 * ideally the Nanostations will run OpenWRT but will need a reasonable web UI
 * need to verify whether not having antenna management in OpenWRT is an issue

ToDo


 * Develop a web UI for OpenWRT on Nanostation

= Mesh Potato (POTS Phone + ATA + Mesh Wifi) =


 * POTS phone + ATA + BATMAN WiFi node = Mesh Potato


 * Proof of concept unit from off-the-shelf components

- memory - chipset - wireless
 * Develop a functional specification for the Mesh Potato


 * Explore development methods ==

- DIY or get someone to manufacture


 * Design


 * Build a prototype

- beta testers and formal test plan - certification
 * Beta Run


 * Volume Manufacture

= How to Upstream your VT =
 * outline the possibilities and challenges
 * lay out solutions for GSM, PSTN, VOIP national, global, etc