guifi.net is a network of open, free, neutral telecommunications, which is based on an agreement of interconnectivity in which each participant (node) extends the networks and receives Internet access. guifi.net works as a collaborative research, development and innovation platform that promotes and fosters the creation of wireless networks and open infrastructures of communication. It is one of the largest user-created wireless infrastructures in the world. The project was born in the Osona area in 2004, and today the network is present throughout much of the Catalan territory, as well as in other parts of the Iberian Peninsula and in the Sahara Desert. The initiative is also involved in projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, among other regions. Currently, more than 14,309 operative nodes have been implemented. This figure represents 23,520 kilometres of links built by citizens in collaboration with public and private entities. The guifi.net community specializes in cutting-edge technologies that allow the creation of digital networks with low costs and high benefits to citizens, such as wireless technology and, more recently, fibre optics. guifi.net is a member of CATNIX (the data exchange point in Catalonia). Additionally, it is legally authorized to operate as an Internet service provider. Awards and recognition include the National Award for Telecommunications of the Generalitat de Catalunya Catalan Autonomous Government (2007), and membership of the European Network of Living Labs and the Open Spectrum Alliance. In 2008, the guifi.net Foundation for an Open, Free, Neutral Network was set up.
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Let’s Make Waves