| Summary: | This master’s thesis is written in collaboration with Village Telco. VillageTelco is a grass root solution for establishing communication whereno other can or are willing to do so. The business has developed theMeshPotato, a wireless access point, which uses standard Wi-Fi technologycombined with open-source telephony software and a state of the artmesh protocol, to provide low-cost telephony. Today, Village Telco serveas a hardware provider. The master’s thesis provides a background studyof Village Telco, the technology that Village Telco uses and some of theVillage Telco networks that exist in the world today. An Excel model forcalculating threshold values for sustainable businesses have been made,and a new business model for Village Telco is proposed. The aim for thenew business model is that Village Telco can serve as a service providerin addition to selling hardware.The main methods used for this thesis are Skype meetings with peoplein the Village Telco community, literature study, case studies of existingbusiness models and mathematical calculations. For the case studies, andthe proposal of the new business model, Osterwalder’s business modelcanvas have been used as a tool.The Excel model that has been made can be a helpful basis for a morecomplex service for the local entrepreneurs in the future. The studies ofother business models shows that customer relationships and partneringwith other telcos are the two most important aspects to consider forVillage Telco as a service provider. Other factors are optional, and thereare many possible combinations of solutions for how Village Telco canserve as service provider and which services they may provide.
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