Janata Wifi

In Bangladesh there is a massive lack of financial literacy among the general populace. If you dig deep into this problem and break it down, firstly, you will find that even though new generation fintech companies are trying to solve this with video content and smartphone apps, adoption of apps is low due to the expensive internet. In Bangladesh it costs 10% of monthly income for an average person to get access to Quality Mobile Broadband. For context here 90% of users use a smartphone as their primary internet device. Due to this it becomes costly for MFS agents and end users to adopt financial smartphone apps that have rich financial services options. 

The second portion of the problem is, young people who are on the internet, are getting exposure to the internet primarily as an entertainment medium instead of an educational one. They are largely unaware how they can solve most of their life’s financial & other problems by effective use of the internet.

The reason cellular internet is expensive is the regulatory environment and competitive environment. The quality of cellular is also not upto marks as Bangladesh stands 118 among 140 countries if terms of internet speed according to ookla speedtest. For fixed broadband the ranking is 104 among 180 countries. Quality cable broadband is also expensive due to inefficiencies and lack of business innovation in local ISPs. 

The reason for second part of the problem is digital literacy is low among people. Older generation are not versed in the digital tools and does not have good idea on how digital technologies can shape a young persons brain. These young people are sort of figuring out how to use the internet on their own or through their peer groups. In result they are getting addicted more towards entertainment content rather than productive ones.

We provide technology that enables ISPs and Micro Merchants to deploy large scale Managed Wifi Deployments. In these deployments end users can pay BDT 10(10 cents) and enjoy 24 hours unlimited Wi-Fi, or can enjoy free internet by watching ads.

ISPs purchase the necessary hardware from us, or from other shops as per our specification, then they install our software in those wifi routers and it becomes operational. ISPs find micro merchants to host the router in a shop. People come to that shop and use the wifi. Micro Merchants take cash payment from users and assign them balance from their mobile app that gives the user 24 hours access. Or, Micro Merchants provide users a walkthrough on how to watch an ad and get free internet for the first time, after that the user can self-serve. Micro Merchants pay us with mobile financial service to get balance to sell. We later share the revenue with the ISP.

The brands that want to sponsor wifi through our ad based wifi model, they can signup in our advertiser web interface, here they can create campaigns targeting users in certain demography and location. They can add image, video quizzes and surveys to the ad campaign. Brands can also assign internet balances to their own users as a loyalty program. Brands pay us for the advertisement, and we share the revenue with the ISP and Micro Merchant.

Given the Fintech brands all need a distribution channel to push their product, our wifi advertisement, and micro merchant network becomes their distribution channel.

We also collect all the telemetry from the routers running our software, and feed that to an AI model. The AI helps us and the ISPs find any problem with the wifi deployment automatically even before the customer complains.

Overall we have reduced the cost of mobile broadband by 20x compared to cellular, and have created a system where local fintech brands can grow themselves on top of our wifi micro merchants distribution channel.

Our target end users are the bottom 80% population of Bangladesh and other LDCs. To effectively reach this segment, we partner with ISPs, Businesses and nonprofits operating in the bottom of the pyramid communities.

This bottom of the pyramid population lives largely in rural area or city outskirts, has an average income of USD 110 per month per person, is of the size of 75 MLN People in the 15-44 age group and it is the 44% of Bangladeshi population. If we consider this number in all the other LDCs combined its going to be more than 2 BLN people with similar circumstances around the world.

People in this income groups are generally financially illiterate, use digital financial apps but not much. This happens primarily due to high internet costs, and hard to find official financial literacy content. With our solution they are getting to see the messages by financial apps and also getting rewarded with the internet for it as well. They are highly motivated to get this.

ISP industry in Bangladesh is struggling to provide high quality broadband services for the lack of low cost technology and tech training. They serve mostly home users with legacy networking technology, and they have a lot of inefficiencies in their operation. We build all our technologies in house with Bangladeshi talent, which allows us to keep the cost of these solutions really low and adoptable by ISPs. The solution allows ISPs for onboarding individual customers which allows them to go to a new segment of user which they didn't have before, it also ensures maximum usage of their bandwidth resource. The solution also allows for automating network bug detection and customer service using AI, which allows for the cost of operation for the ISPs to reduce significantly. 

We have several fintech companies as our customers who are using us to provide financial literacy to the bottom of the pyramid community. These brands struggle to reach their target customers with their desired message given the existing facebook or google based ad system, as their target community can't afford internet, so the brands had to do physical campaigns which is costly for them. Our advertisement based wifi solution allows them to push specific educational messages to these bottom of the pyramid communities through wifi advertisements. These Fintech customers get free internet after watching the ads, and also the incentive to further get free internet if they use certain sections of the apps and self-serve. It reduces the cost and increases the effectiveness of the fintech products.

Finally there are the MFS agents who host the router hardware for the ISPs and Fintech brands, they are incentivized on teaching the people on how to signup in this ad based wifi system. Once the end users are onboarded, they get video ads and quizzes on how to use specific financial apps and how to use them for specific purposes. The internet balance they get can be used for general internet browsing, so they are incentivized to learn about these fintech apps to get their general internet balance.

The members of the core team all grew up in lower middle income environments of Bangladesh. As individuals we were all massively benefited by educating ourselves from the internet. One of the team members, Mainul worked in the capital market industry as a wealth advisor and digital product manager for 7 years and saw how financial literacy fails and doesn't scale among the populace. Another team member Quazi contributed in building the nation's internet backbone and saw why the cost of quality internet stays up. Another team member, Nahid, worked as a digital marketer and saw how all kinds of local digital brands are failing to come into mainstream due to the lack of a digital distribution channel. The junior members are part of the next generation who found it really hard to concentrate on productive usage of the internet given all the platform noise, later they found financial literacy through mentorship. The team members live among the target end user community, also we regularly visit various semi urban and rural parts of the country to know the situation of the internet in those communities. When we along with our ISP partner and sponsor decide to provide coverage to a broader location, we visit the location and talk to the users to understand what specific problems do they face using the internet, we ask them about their understanding of different financial tools, and based on the knowledge we optimize our hardware placement and advertisements. Also we run surveys in our advertisement interface to get customer opinions about our service, and ask them what we can do to make it better.

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The primary reason we are applying to MIT Solve is to get access to the global network of entrepreneurs who can help us take this idea international, to other LDCs. We want to have this solution deployed in countries with similar problems as ours, where connectivity is expensive, and we can help the local fintech enterprises in those countries to increase digital financial inclusion. We want to talk to a room full of entrepreneurs coming from all over the world and get their detailed feedback on why this will be a success or failure in their country so that we know what to improve upon.

Secondly, we expect to land customers of this technology through the solve network. In the advertisement based wifi model we are alway looking for big for profit and nonprofit brands who are looking to push their message to the bottom of the pyramid communities. I think our solution will be very effective in shaping the thoughts of young people in a positive way if there is any global organization who wants to do so.

Janata Wifi introduces a novel approach to tackle two pervasive issues in the context of Bangladesh and other Least Developed Countries (LDCs): the high cost of internet access and low financial literacy. Our solution is innovative on several fronts.

Firstly, we introduce a sachet model of internet distribution, facilitated by our customized hardware and software solutions. By enabling local businesses to sell affordable, small units of high-quality fixed broadband, we democratize internet access, breaking the cost barrier that restricts a significant portion of the population. This is a significant departure from traditional models, where high costs and inefficient systems often exclude low-income users.

Secondly, our solution elevates the value of internet access by turning it into a platform for financial education. Our advertisement-based wifi system, a unique concept in this domain, allows nonprofits and for-profit brands to sponsor wifi usage for low-income populations. In return, users engage with informative content about these brands' products and services, fostering financial literacy while also incentivizing the use of the internet beyond just entertainment.

Our solution also innovates on the supply side. We provide ISPs with low-cost, high-quality technology and tech training, which significantly improves their service efficiency and quality. This approach helps maximize the use of bandwidth resources, opens up new market segments, and automates network bug detection and customer service using AI, leading to substantial operational cost reductions for ISPs.

Moreover, our model could catalyze broader positive impacts in the market. By demonstrating that it's possible to deliver affordable internet access and financial literacy to low-income users, we could inspire other stakeholders, including ISPs, fintech companies, and nonprofits, to invest in similar initiatives. Over time, this could lead to a more inclusive and education-oriented internet landscape, with wider benefits for society as a whole.

Next Year:

• Goal 1: Provide basic financial literacy to 1 million low-income people in Bangladesh by providing them affordable access to broadband internet.

Plan: To achieve this goal we shall show basic financial knowledge in the form of video and/or quiz advertisements. Watching complete videos and/or correctly answering quizzes would reward users with free internet access time. We shall form partnerships with

• 3000 micro-merchants: they will provide walkthrough on the ad view model to users

• Work with 1 nationwide ISP and 20 local ISPs: they will provide sufficient bandwidth for streaming video courses on financial literacy advertised in our wi-fi zones

• 10 or more Fintech and educational brands: they will provide discounts on their courses advertised on our platform

• Goal 2: Reach 800,000 low-income users with financial literacy content through our advertisement-based wi-fi system, improving their financial knowledge and capability. Plan: Expand our network of nonprofit and for-profit partners to sponsor wi-fi usage and provide relevant, engaging financial education content. Use data analytics and feedback mechanisms to continuously improve the content and user experience. Partner with MFS agents to provide additional incentives for users to engage with the content and complete financial tasks.

• Goal 3: Expand WIFI deployment to 3000 new locations, with a focus on areas with high concentrations of female students and RMG workers. Plan: To achieve this, we will collaborate with universities and RMG factories to identify suitable locations for WIFI deployment. We will also conduct outreach programs in the target areas to raise awareness of our solution and its benefits.

Five Years:

• Goal 1: Provide affordable internet access to 20 million low-income users in Bangladesh and other LDCs, creating a new market segment for ISPs and local businesses, and helping bridge the digital divide. Plan: Continue expanding our partnerships with local businesses and ISPs to establish a network of distribution points for our sachet model of internet access. Conduct research and development to improve the quality and efficiency of our hardware and software solutions, making them more adaptable to different contexts and user needs.

• Goal 2: Reach 15 million low-income users with financial literacy content through our advertisement-based wi-fi system, contributing to increased financial inclusion and capability in the target population. Plan: Expand our partnerships with nonprofits and for-profit brands to sponsor wi-fi usage and deliver targeted, interactive financial education content. Work with local community leaders and organizations to ensure the relevance and impact of the content. Establish partnerships with financial service providers to create pathways for users to apply and use their products and services.

• Goal 3. Create a sustainable and scalable model for providing affordable internet access and financial education to low-income users in LDCs. Plan: To achieve this, we will document our experiences and best practices and share them with other stakeholders, including ISPs, fintech companies, and nonprofits. We will also actively seek out partnerships and collaborations to scale up our impact and reach a wider audience.

To achieve these impact goals, we will need to continue building strong partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including ISPs, micro-merchants, nonprofits, and financial service providers. We will also need to continuously innovate and improve our solutions to meet the evolving needs of our target population, while ensuring the sustainability and scalability of our model.

• SDG 1: No Poverty - Percentage increase in the number of people in the bottom 80% population of Bangladesh and other LDCs who have access to affordable internet through Janata Wifi's sachet model.

• SDG 4: Quality Education - Percentage increase in financial literacy among the bottom 80% population of Bangladesh and other LDCs who have access to Janata Wifi's advertisement-based wifi system.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Number of ISPs and other stakeholders who adopt Janata Wifi's low-cost, high-quality technology and training, leading to improved service efficiency and quality.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - Percentage increase in the number of low-income users who have access to affordable internet and financial literacy through Janata Wifi's solution.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Number of partnerships formed with ISPs, fintech companies, and nonprofits to support Janata Wifi's initiative and its adoption in other LDCs.

We will track these indicators over time and set targets for each indicator that align with our impact goals. We can also conduct surveys and focus group discussions with our target population to gather feedback on the effectiveness of our solution and make any necessary adjustments to ensure we are meeting our impact goals.

 Our theory of change is based on the premise that access to affordable and reliable internet connectivity is a key driver of economic growth and social development, particularly in low and middle-income countries where internet penetration rates remain low. By providing a cost-effective and sustainable solution for deploying managed WiFi networks, we aim to overcome the barriers to internet access faced by many people in these countries, and thereby enable them to fully participate in the digital economy.

The theory of change is supported by existing research and evidence showing that access to the internet can have significant positive impacts on individual and community development. For example, the World Bank Group believes that “Raising Internet penetration to 75 percent of the population in all developing countries (from the current level of approximately 35 percent) would add as much as US$2 trillion to their collective gross domestic product (GDP) and create more than 140 million jobs around the world”.

Our longer-term outcome is to increase internet penetration rates in the target region, which we believe will have a positive impact on economic growth and social development. By providing a reliable and cost-effective solution for deploying managed WiFi networks, we aim to overcome the barriers to internet access faced by many people in these countries, and thereby enable them to fully participate in the digital economy.

We expect our solution to have a positive impact on several key outcomes. First, we believe that our solution will help to increase internet penetration rates in the target region, which will enable more people to access digital services and participate in the digital economy. This, in turn, will lead to increased economic growth and social development.

Second, we believe that our solution will create new opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and reach new customers. By providing a distribution channel for digital services, we aim to enable local fintech brands to grow themselves on top of our WiFi micro-merchant network. This will create new revenue streams for micro merchants and ISPs, and also enable local businesses to reach new customers who might not otherwise be able to access their products and services.

Finally, we believe that our solution will help to address some of the key challenges faced by ISPs in deploying and managing WiFi networks. By providing a turnkey solution for deploying and managing WiFi networks, we aim to reduce the cost and complexity of deploying and managing these networks, and thereby enable ISPs to expand their service offerings and reach more customers.

We have built our custom operating systems for wifi hardware, also our customized AAA system to enable very low cost wifi hotspot. We have android and ios apps along with a web dashboard as user interfaces. We are also integrating GPT-4 to automate our network administration tasks.

Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into our work is critical to achieving our mission of providing affordable internet access and financial literacy to underserved populations in Bangladesh. Our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion should be intentional and embedded throughout every aspect of our work.

Firstly, we should prioritize diversity in our team by actively seeking out and recruiting individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities. Our leadership team should reflect the diversity of the populations we serve. Diversity in our team will bring different perspectives, experiences, and skills that will enhance our ability to understand and meet the needs of diverse communities. We should strive to create a culture of respect, inclusivity, and belonging where everyone feels valued, supported, and able to contribute their unique ideas and talents.

Secondly, we should prioritize equity in our approach by ensuring that all members of the communities we serve have equal access to our services and opportunities for advancement. This means addressing systemic barriers and historical inequities that have prevented certain groups, such as women and ethnic minorities, from accessing education, job opportunities, and other resources. We should also ensure that our micro-merchant partners are selected based on a fair and equitable process that prioritizes women and marginalized groups.

Thirdly, we should prioritize inclusion by creating environments in which all members of the communities we serve feel welcome, respected, and supported. This means designing our technology and user interfaces with a focus on accessibility and usability for people with different abilities and levels of literacy. We should also ensure that our deployment locations are inclusive and accessible to diverse communities, including those in slums and rural areas.

To achieve our goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion, we should set measurable targets and regularly assess our progress against these targets. For example, we could track the percentage of women and members of underrepresented communities in our team and micro-merchant partners, as well as the number of people from diverse backgrounds who are benefiting from our services. We should also seek feedback from the communities we serve and use this feedback to improve our approach.

In terms of our current team's diversity, we have individuals from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, including one member from the "Orao" indigenous community of Bangladesh. However, we recognize that there is more work to be done to ensure that our team is truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Our team's goals should include actively recruiting individuals from underrepresented communities, providing training and support for team members to address any biases or assumptions they may hold, and regularly assessing and improving our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In conclusion, incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work is essential for achieving our mission and creating a more inclusive and equitable internet landscape in Bangladesh. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our approach to leadership, team recruitment, technology, and deployment locations, we can ensure that our solution is accessible and beneficial to all members of the communities we serve.

We develop technology that enables ISPs to deploy large scale Managed Wifi Deployments. It has both a market intermediary and market linkage model. In these deployments end users can enjoy internet that costs 1/20th the price of cellular, or can enjoy free internet by watching ads. ISPs purchase the necessary hardware from us, or from other shops as per our specification, then they install our software in those wifi routers and it becomes operational. ISPs sometimes finds micro merchants to host the router in a shop. People come to that shop and uses the wifi. The The value that various parties gets out of it are following:

1. ISPs get a way to sell their bandwidth to individual users like cellular companies does, this gives them a whole new market. Individual users are also interested because its costs very little. Janata Wifi gets a commission out of the sales proceeds of paid wifi. We have piloted this model and in certain locations where it is possible to create large coverage of WiFi it works great. This is a market intermediary model.

2. Brands can advertise their messages on the entry page of free wifi, after watching the ads, end users get free internet balance. This allows brands to achieve through play, which means end users don't get internet access until they watch the ads in full, and complete the quiz to verify if they have really focused on the ad. Also it comes with a reward of free internet. If you compare it with advertisements in social media, our model ensures better knowledge transfer and paints a positive image of the brands. This is a market linkage business model.

3. We charge brands to put their ads on these wifi hotspots, and a portion of that we keep, the rest we give out to ISPs and Micromerchants who host the router in their shop. This also diversifies the revenue of the ISP from the same hardware investment.

4. Micro Merchants becomes the hosting space for the service, they work as the end point seller who markets the product to the community, in return they get a portion of the revenue. Also the Wifi increases traffic to the shop increasing the overall sell of the merchant. In our micro merchants community, income from wifi has increased the overall income of the merchant by around 10%.

We have three revenue sources:

1. Commission on wifi sales to end users

2. Commission on advertisement by brands

3. Markup on hardware sales

We are running our pilot with a major ISP in Bangladesh. Down the line we want to scale up this business by having more ISP partnership to cover more areas., and several brand partnerships who will sponsor the deployments. 

In the shorter horizon, we want to raise some capital to sustain the hardware/software RnD to make our offering better.

We are running a pilot on 100 locations around Bangladesh on the model described above. We have seen our user base grow 20% every month for 6 months straight. 

We are doing this pilot with one of the largest ISPs of the country, and several more have approached us to scale the model up with them.

Also we have landed an advertisement deal from a wealth management fintech startup. We are working to get more fintech’s on our platform so that they can reach out to more customers with their messages.

We have also received a USD 30,000 grant from APNIC foundation. They have been funding our current running pilot which has refined our technology and business model.