Rating: GPRS printer ideal for remote communities
It is such a simple idea – and it’s proving its worth in one of the leading emerging markets, Africa. The product is the Sequoia GPRS printer which has proved highly successful in sub-Saharan Africa for a medical application. The technology, however, has much wider potential. It builds on the fact that in many developing countries there is virtually no communications infrastructure. However, they do have GSM based networks and although these can’t normally offer 3G, they certainly can support GPRS data. What Sequoia provides is a secure point-to-point means of communication with a simple to read print-out at the receiving end. The product is incredibly easy to use and can used anywhere.The current system in Africa readily illustrates how this system can be used. Pregnant women attend clinics to test for HIV and the samples are sent off to a laboratory for analysis.
There’s an urgent need to get the results back not only quickly but reliably, too. That’s where Sequoia’s GPRS server software comes in. It’s designed to ensure each communication arrives 100 per cent intact.
In Western Europe, for example, it is natural to assume that such a printer would be using Wi-fi not GPRS. However, in remote communities Wi-fi coverage is not feasible.
In terms of operation there are only a couple of things which the user needs to do. The first is to power it up. Since the printer works from a 12V supply, a car battery is all that is needed.
Secondly, the printer needs to be loaded with paper. However, it utilises a standard retail till roll – something which is easy to obtain and also cheap. That’s it. Anyone could work it.
GoMo News asked Sequoia at are recent MWC preview event what other applications the technology is being considered for. The answer was banking.
Since it is a highly secure means of communication, the GPRS printer can be used to confirm financial transactions.
So, in effect, traditional banks could utilise this technology to compete against cellular based money transfer systems such as M-Pesa.
