The internet is the engine of the modern global economy. It allows for a near unimpeded level of connectivity. It is a digital environment where billions communicate seamlessly and businesses continue to thrive. Without it, the modern economies that have been built on the back of the global supply chain would not exist, and Industry juggernauts such as Apple, Amazon, and Tesla may never have even come to fruition.
Although there has been huge adoption across almost all of the developed world, it might come as a surprise to some to know that almost 3 billion people in the world still lack access to the internet, with the majority of these from developing nations and rural areas. This is a byproduct of market control by a few large Internet service providers (IPSs), who focus on upselling extra services to developed regions, rather than expanding coverage to areas where people need connecting the most.
Wayru: The Network of Networks
Wayru is a decentralized internet network that believes in digital freedom, economic independence, and community development. It argues that these can only be achieved if the services that power the internet are distributed and managed by those that use it rather than large, private enterprises.
Wayru believes that this system has encouraged these large companies to intentionally neglect investing in regions of low coverage, and in developing nations, essentially blocking them from participating in the global economy.
Wayu's solution empowers small-mid size internet service providers (ISPs), entrepreneurs, and communities to build, operate and own demand-driven internet networks. The ambitious Miami-based team proposes a model based upon a shared economy that concentrates on minimizing the operational costs involved in setting up the physical infrastructure that powers the internet.
Wayru Founder and CEO Charvel Chedraui stated:
"We propose a new kind of Internet service, designed for future generations and built to evolve, to solve the problem of creating a sustainable and affordable network to reach people currently facing a digital divide."
According to their whitepaper, such a model is highly scalable from a deployment perspective. Instead of having a single entity responding to the demand of a network, the responsibility is distributed and localized, meaning capacity can respond efficiently to local demand.
A Tokenized System for the Future of the Internet
Wayru proposes a three-layered incentivized distributed network comprising micro, block, and link nodes. Micro nodes can be set up by anyone with a standard computer and internet router, allowing them to join and use the network. The first version of Micro nodes is the Genesis device. Block nodes provide the distribution layer in a community and help to sustain the network locally. Link nodes interface between the Wayru network and legacy internet infrastructure, ensuring the services that people need and want today are still accessible.
Node Operators earn rewards according to several factors, including the amount of traffic the node processes, hosting an application, and a Node Quality Grading System which grades each node according to its technical performance. Wayru will pay its node operators in its native token, WRU, which will initially be deployed on the popular blockchain Algorand. According to the Wayru team, the token will have a maximum supply of 10 billion, with all tokens minted at genesis and locked until the network begins operating.
Wayru Founder and CEO Charvel Chedraui stated that:
"At Wayru, we seek to close the digital gap by deploying Decentralized Internet Networks with free access for all, and anyone worldwide can be part of this change."
Once the network is operational, WRU will be distributed to node operators as a reward for maintaining the network and to early investors in both the private and public sales for their support. 1% (or 100 million) WRU will be released initially, with the remaining tokens expected to be dispersed over the next 20 years.
Repurposing Technology for the Greater Good
Whilst this technology is not new, the principle of deconstructing vast network infrastructure focussing on software, and making it accessible to the individual user is a marked difference from the approach taken by the biggest telecommunication providers.
Individuals are directly rewarded for their efforts, which incentivizes node operators to set up in places with high demand but low coverage, going where big companies critical to the internet seemingly refuse to go. Wayru's goal is to bring 1 million homes online within the next five years, and 10 million within a decade and they believe that decentralized technology is the key to helping them to achieve this. Anyone interested in supporting Wayru through the presale or becoming a node operator can do so here.
