Internet by voice, the invention by three Romanian entrepreneurs that could connect 4 bln people to the internet
Three Romanian tech entrepreneurs plan to revolutionize Internet connections with a new software they have created, which allows for data transfers via traditional voice networks.
Their software, which is called Pangea, transforms data into sound waves which are transmitted via the mobile telephony infrastructure, just like regular mobile phone calls. Once they reach the receiver, Pangea transforms the sound waves into data.
Their technology eliminates the need for costly internet data infrastructure and could help connect remote areas to the internet with minimum investments. The technology could prove very useful in Africa and Asia, where data coverage by 3G networks is limited and data plans are unaffordable for most of the population.
“We make apps work on existing phones and through existing networks. There are more than four billion people who are not connected to the internet. It’s a problem that couldn’t be solved so far and can’t be solved with the current infrastructure. But we use the existing networks,” said Vlad Iuhas, co-founder and CEO of Pangea Communications, quoted by Digi 24 news station.
The technology developed by the Romanian entrepreneurs could draw attention from tech giants Google and Facebook, which have been trying to get the internet to countries with poor infrastructure.
Vlad Iuhas and his two partners, Radu Iuhas, and Sebastian Presecan, are currently negotiating with telecom companies in Asia, Africa, where the data infrastructure is weak, to implement their system. Some 1,000 users will test the system for a month and, if the results are good, they will expand to other countries. “We are trying to focus on a few countries in Africa, for the moment. There’s also the possibility that we will launch it in India and the Philippines,” said Vlad Iuhas.
The system could be used not only in poor countries but also to transfer important information in case of natural disasters or epidemics that might affect traditional data networks. John Hopkins University is interested in this system to send medical information to countries where there’s no Internet access, as they currently do this by text messages.
The three Romanian entrepreneurs have set up a company in San Francisco, which is called Pangea Communications and have already drawn a USD 200,000 seed financing in January 2015, according to CrunchBase.com.
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