Do you live somewhere outside, do you have cable internet but no range for your mobile phone? Then Ukama might be what you’re looking for.
The Netherlands is a small, densely populated country with an exceptionally good coverage for mobile telephony. This is often different abroad, and even in the Netherlands there are areas where mobile coverage falters.
Then it would be useful if you had your own cell tower nearby, so that you can make calls undisturbed. That solution is a thanks to the open source project Ukama.
What can you do with Ukama?
Ukama can best be seen as a mobile transmission tower, which you can connect to your fixed internet. Ukama has a range of about a kilometer. In principle, this could provide a village of a hundred inhabitants with mobile telephony. Plug the Ukama into your router and you can start.
Thanks to Ukama you can simply call with your mobile or smartphone via this cell tower. This transmits the signals over the internet. You can use your existing mobile phone provider or Ukama’s SIM card.
How much does Ukama cost?
Do you only want to be able to make calls in and around your house? Then choose the Ukama Home Node. This 4G station is just as easy to convert as a Wi-Fi network at home. Within minutes you can call with your mobile. Up to eight people can use it at the same time. This costs around €600, including two SIM cards.
Do you want mobile coverage for more people? Then choose the Ukama Tower Node. This model is especially suitable for outdoor use and can handle up to 128 different telephones. This heavier version, including four SIM cards, will cost you around €800.
Separate SIM cards cost a tenner each.
Do you want even more reach? Then you can link an Amplifier Unit to this Tower Node. This amplifies the signal by 30 dB, so about eight times. In principle, this increases the range three times. These cost around € 550.
roaming
It is also interesting that you can also use your Ukama SIM card outside the range of your network elsewhere in the world. You then pay for your data usage. Prices vary by country, ranging from €2 per gigabyte of data traffic in Germany and the United Kingdom to €30 in Jamaica. It works through prepaid credit. so you never have to worry about incurring more costs than there is credit on the card.
Conclusion
The Ukama is a nice device with which you can indeed start your own cell towers. Do you have poor mobile coverage but do you have cable internet where you live? Then you can definitely consider investing in one of these systems.
With several hundred euros, it is of course not a cheap system, but compared to the costs of a professional transmission tower it is not much. This system is especially useful for remote farms or villages.
