Siglo Network: Internet for & by the People

If it seems like we’ve been quiet lately, it’s because we’ve been busy building!

Time for an update:

• Siglo is launching a decentralized ISP, an internet service provider, called Siglo Network.
• The internet bandwidth business is ripe for disruption in emerging markets. The existing Siglo user-base will drive the ownership, growth, and maintenance of Siglo’s decentralized network.
• Announcing the Siglo Edge Nodes (SENs)! This hardware is installed on a neighborhood block with a Siglo entrepreneur (Host). The SEN becomes the community distribution point for fast, cheap, and better internet. Of course, Hosts earn Siglo tokens for every home connected to their node.
• We are launching our first pilot this fall in Mexico City! We’re talking with government and investors in other markets for additional pilots in South America and Asia.

We’ve always believed in democratizing access to the internet in emerging markets. Our modus operandi has been: how can we get more people connected to better internet? One of the largest barriers has always been an economic one. So, we started subsidizing access cost to local mobile operators using brand dollars and monetizing customer insights. To date, we’ve distributed over $600,000 USD in mobile credit to Siglo ecosystem participants. But something was missing. Internet was still expensive and painfully slow for the mass market in Latin America.

We have decided to take this to the next level. If we want to provide faster, better internet at a cheaper price, we’re going to build our own distributed internet infrastructure.

What will this look like? In typical Siglo style: a token for access; a distributed, community workforce and ownership element; a non-tradition financial access platform that would allow unbanked users to participate and pay their bills; and, of course, FAST internet at a price anyone can AFFORD.

The problem in many emerging economies, like Mexico, is that fast, reliable internet is for rich people. Siglo believes fast internet is for everyone. Let’s break down the inequality of access and give a fast connection to everyone.

Siglo users can participate as neighborhood block “Hosts” for Siglo Edge Nodes (SENs). They become the access point for everyone else on their block. Other users can get trained and certified as “Techies” and help to install and maintain wifi access points in homes. If users refer their friends and neighbors, they earn even more. We believe this is a model that makes sense because the community itself actively participates and earns. And, it’s very scalable.

More to come soon, but we wanted to keep you informed of all that’s going on with Siglo!