When a giant such as Microsoft initiates research projects on technology, it pretty clear that it’s going to be the future. I recently stumbled upon a page that talks about their research in the field of Wireless Mesh Networks. As it seems they have been at it for a while now.

Microsoft seems to have applied its “Embrace, Extend and Extinguish” ideology to this. Mesh Connectivity Layer (MCL) started its life as a version of the Dynamic Source Routing Protocol (DSR). DSR has been extensively modified to improve its behavior, most significantly to support link quality metrics.

In 1997 Mahabir Pun set out to provide Internet access to the students of Himachal High School. The teachers and students of Billanook College gifted him with a few old computers. His aim was to enable the students communicate with each other using email. This simple dream changed the way of life for a number of people living in small villages. In 2003 a student in Los Angeles got a grant from the Donald Strauss Foundation, which helped make this dream a reality. The World Bank recently granted $20,000 to extend and improve the existing network. Nepal’s largest Internet Service Provider, World-Link has helped build infrastructure.