Four days without internet since the almost total blockage imposed on the night of Thursday to Friday by Egyptian authorities, the defenders of freedom of expression have organized to try to provide alternatives to the Egyptians, so they can receive and disseminate information. The first and simplest of parades was ...
a little jump backward technology. Service Providers (ISP) from Egypt were forced to block connections to broadband, fixed telephone lines but still work. So nothing prevents access to the Internet at low speeds, via a 56K modem. The connection is weak, but works: several foreign ISPs, including NDF in France have therefore established a number of Egyptian Internet connection.
"This is the most effective method to bypass the blockage," explains Fo0, a computer scientist involved in the project Telecomix, an organization defending freedom of expression also, since this weekend, a service of Lo-Fi access. "It works very well, with the spread of broadband, we just forgot that it was possible, but the low-speed Internet is fully operational." The helpline set up by NDF is operating normally since Friday, but the ISP prefers not to disclose usage figures, so as not to attract the attention of Egyptian authorities, who might decide to cut the service.
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE All Egyptians are not housed in the same situation: a handful of users still have access to the network. ISP Noor, which feeds mainly on large companies like Coca-Cola, Lafarge and especially the Cairo Stock Exchange, is still active, despite a disconnection phase two hours Sunday afternoon.
Since Saturday, the phone number of the backup connection given by the ISP is also circulating on social networks. Other solutions exist to overcome the blocking of Internet broadband, but are currently less effective. Radio waves are not blocked, activists for freedom of expression have also turned to radio amateurs.
Hamsphere software, for example, can turn their computer into BC, and therefore, for users located close to Egypt, to capture transmissions. "We had some contacts issue, but it's a bit more complicated," explains Fo0. "The good news is that amateurs have realized they had a role to play if another country decides to cut off access to the Internet, they are ready." 
a little jump backward technology. Service Providers (ISP) from Egypt were forced to block connections to broadband, fixed telephone lines but still work. So nothing prevents access to the Internet at low speeds, via a 56K modem. The connection is weak, but works: several foreign ISPs, including NDF in France have therefore established a number of Egyptian Internet connection.
"This is the most effective method to bypass the blockage," explains Fo0, a computer scientist involved in the project Telecomix, an organization defending freedom of expression also, since this weekend, a service of Lo-Fi access. "It works very well, with the spread of broadband, we just forgot that it was possible, but the low-speed Internet is fully operational." The helpline set up by NDF is operating normally since Friday, but the ISP prefers not to disclose usage figures, so as not to attract the attention of Egyptian authorities, who might decide to cut the service.
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE All Egyptians are not housed in the same situation: a handful of users still have access to the network. ISP Noor, which feeds mainly on large companies like Coca-Cola, Lafarge and especially the Cairo Stock Exchange, is still active, despite a disconnection phase two hours Sunday afternoon.
Since Saturday, the phone number of the backup connection given by the ISP is also circulating on social networks. Other solutions exist to overcome the blocking of Internet broadband, but are currently less effective. Radio waves are not blocked, activists for freedom of expression have also turned to radio amateurs.
Hamsphere software, for example, can turn their computer into BC, and therefore, for users located close to Egypt, to capture transmissions. "We had some contacts issue, but it's a bit more complicated," explains Fo0. "The good news is that amateurs have realized they had a role to play if another country decides to cut off access to the Internet, they are ready."
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- Egypt may have turned off the Internet one phone call at a time (29/01/2011)
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