N4C · Networking for Communications Challenged Communities: Architecture, Test Beds and Innovative Alliances

Leveraging diverse technologies in a coherent future Internet test bed is difficult. Extending the reach of such a test bed to people living in remote areas, that have special complex requirements, adds to the challenge. The target of the N4C project is the deployment and testing of ubiquitous and pervasive networking for communications challenged areas in a manner consistent with an overall vision for a future Internet that can encompass not just users and applications in well connected regions, but that can also reach out to rural areas. To achieve this goal N4C will make opportunistic use a range of communications access methods, but with a special focus on the presently evolving Delay and Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) architecture and related technologies that have mainly been developed by the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) DTN community. DTN technology will be used to meet some specific goals for future Internet scenarios like methods of delivering information on global warming in almost inaccessible areas and providing means for including remote populations in future Internet society thus contributing to EC objectives eInclusion and Broadband for all. A set of initial applications with specialized software and hardware will be tested in Sámi/Lapland in northern Sweden where a nomadic way of life is common and in Kocevje region in Slovenia. This will evolve into an on-going test bed for applications providing communications in challenged areas. The intent is that N4C will become an extension of a more general federated future Internet test bed for use in more traditionally connected regions. N4C will demonstrate sustainable business models for deployment of its outcomes. The impetus of working together in the FP7 framework will significantly improve the utility of the results by ensuring that they are applicable to several differing scenarios and assist with the goal of giving European leadership in the standardization of DTN technology.