Inspiration
Be-Bound believes constant and affordable connectivity are key to unlocking the economic potential of hundreds of millions around the world. Bringing balance into this world of inequality starts by bridging the digital divide and connecting the unconnected to the mobile internet networks that power modern economy -from electricity and financial services to social networks that enable knowledge and economy sharing and e-government services that reinforce democracy and social justice.
As Bill Gates says, data collection and management are determining factors in how we contend with pandemics. Today, Covid-19 poses a disproportionate risk for emerging countries, andAugmented Connectivity can be a huge help. In these countries, the disease will be difficult to diagnose and to heal because of the lack of connectivity and therefore efficiency. For instance, in Africa there are already over one thousand cases of Covid-19. But the number is probably higher than reported. Data collection and real-time sharing of information are key to help fighting the Covid-19.
What it does
We've optimized, developed, and combined bricks of technology to create a mobile software solution that enables Android apps and IoT to work on the 2G network which covers 95% of the world population. This means that rural areas can have apps where normally only an SMS can be sent, opening up a world of critical services to rural populations, which is especially important at a time when social distancing is required. We’ve demonstrated this in multiple emerging countries where we’ve extended mobile internet coverage from 30% to 95%, without any investment in infrastructure.
More specifically, in response to the Covid-19 challenge, we propose 2 major apps which would ease the difficulties being faced. (Our demo video gives an example of the mobile money solution).
The first is mobile money. Out of 1.7 Billion adults globally that remain unbanked (no account at a financial institution or through a mobile money provider), more than 1.1 billion have a cell phone. But 840 million have a cell phone and no internet access.
Additionally, as we’ve seen in the United States this month, where over 3 million people filed for unemployment (likely linked to Covid-19 shutdown orders affecting so many businesses), Covid-19 will have a huge impact on the world economy. Families will be looking for ways to help each other financially, and a mobile money solution will help them transfer money to one another.
Without the need for any additional infrastructure costs, Be-Bound will: Allow immediate access to mobile payments for hundreds of millions of currently unbanked adults Power, via the Blockchain, transactions at a fraction of the current cost (reducing a 10% fee to a few cents), making even the smallest transaction economically viable The benefit beyond Covid is that users will move to (and be included in) the next generation of mobile money, away from archaic USSD models, enjoying a better user experience, and benefitting from the additional functions and power of a rich smartphone interface. This will help bridge the digital divide.
The second is an app that mirrors what the World Health Organization created for the Ebola outbreak in 2014, but one that works without the internet. Connectivity is a healthcare issue that is critically important. In fact, the World Health Organization credited connectivity as the primary reason that Nigeria was the country that so quickly eradicated Ebola compared to the other countries struck (such as Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone). This means that much of Africa, and other emerging countries are facing a high risk of uncontained disease spread. Increased data points matter, and when services can reach more people, more data is collected, and the potential benefits to preventing Covid-19 are clear. In Africa, internet connectivity is only 25%, so realistically, the only way to reach as many people as possible in Africa is to have an app that works even where internet networks are not present.
What we propose:
Send/ receive alerts in case of emergency including instructions; Send people’s location to inform where they are/ if they are safe; Use a chatting system (group and/ or one to one) to exchange information and advice between people and medical staff) Enable doctors to send/receive photos without internet Enable doctors to send/receive documents (for example signed forms, prescriptions …)
Together, these functionalities made possible in areas considered “unconnected” represent a complete and immediate reworking of what is possible for healthcare workers at a time of incredible urgency. With an app created for doctors and citizens to communicate data in real time without internet, Covid-19 would be curbed, and it’s safe to say that thousands of African lives could be saved.
How I built it
Be-Bound has developed a unique network agnostic protocol which enables reliable and secure communications under intermittent, harsh or limited internet connectivity and extension of the throughput. We are experts in reducing bandwidth requirements to make transmission requests faster and more reliable. Headers are optimized and lightweight transport protocols are used for support such as MQTT.
Be-Bound’s proprietary protocol is able to split the data into packets and to ensure their reliable delivery to the proxy using one or multiple networks. Be-Bound technology also guarantees the reliable transmission and reassembly of all packets thanks to ACK/NACK protocols. Received packets are then reassembled, decompressed and delivered to your application server. This optimizes transactions and ensures apps are more efficient. Using all networks at the same time makes data transmission faster. Using all the networks at the same time makes data transmission faster.
BitBuffer is a data serialisation tool developed by Be-Bound that works via an XML interface description. This tool enables developers to code multiple types of data: primitives (Byte, integer, etc.) and higher level (GPS, object collection, etc.). With BitBuffer, you can gain up to 98% more space compared to classic JSON, and up to more than 40% when compared to BitBuffer’s main competitor, Protocol buffer. BitBuffer has several modules that permit optimization of each data type.
For example, the implementation of LX encoding as well as ULX, character encoding developed by Be-Bound optimizes the size of character chains (string). BitBuffer is currently developed in Go, and supported by the languages Java, PHP, Kotlin, Go, etc. BitBuffer offers great space savings in SMS, of mobile DATA, as well as traffic optimization, and is an essential brick of Be-Bound technology when it comes to our promise of sending requests no matter the network conditions. We are constantly researching ways to reduce the size of data without losing information. And while BitBuffer is already mature in its development, the project is not over, because we continue to actively look for solutions that will further optimize data for Be-Bound users.
Data can be encrypted and/or digitally signed based on your own security requirements and policies, hence providing data confidentiality, data integrity, non-repudiation and authenticity.
• Every message and request is fully encrypted from end-to-end. • Be-Bound does not collect any data from the requests
Our SMS encryption is a patented technology that guarantees an indecipherable transmission. It uses of AES-CTR(1) cryptographic keys. The key derivation is based on hash algorithms on low bandwidth connection and on Deffie-Hellman algorithms on high bandwidth connection.
With end-to-end encryption, Be-Bound’s proxy acts as a VPN, adding a powerful extra layer of security. Operating at the application level, a tunnel is created between the application that is running on the device and the client’s servers. The proxy is able to collect, compress and secure the transmission of data over various networks (Wifi, 3G, 4G, 2G/GSM, etc.…). It guarantees a very high security level from your mobile and IoT applications to your connected services. Requests are protected during the whole transmission in compliance with corporate security standards and policies.
In average situations, requests coming from a smartphone to server might be subject to malicious attacks like eavesdropping or malware which can cause major complications for businesses. Even when a VPN is used, messages are still hackable in the cloud (between the VPN server and the app server). With Augmented Connectivity, Be-Bound has developed a strong protection against these vulnerabilities, as an extra layer of security.
Be-Bound’s SDK can check the availability of all the networks. All networks are detected and monitored in parallel, and then the data is transmitted via one or multiple networks according to our channel bonding strategy.
By utilizing channel bonding and network detection, data can be transmitted even on very low bandwidth networks. The best networks available are being used simultaneously, and thanks to BitBuffer, the data is made as small as possible. Detection also monitors whether the full request was received to ensure fault tolerant data delivery. In case of failure, the missing parts of the request will be sent again to guarantee an effective transmission of the whole request.
SMS Fallback works to ensure a very low rate of failure and a smoother end user experience. The Be-Bound SDK works continuously to detect data networks. If a sufficient data network is available, then the request is transmitted via Internet.
However, if the data networks are intermittent or unreliable, or nonexistent during the transmission of a request, Be-Bound's SDK will notice, and the request can be sent back as an SMS through the GSM network, in the background (invisible to the user).. This gives your app the ability to send and receive requests without the internet. And since the 2G network covers 95% of the world population, this gives immediately to your apps the widest reach possible.
Challenges I ran into
The problem is that alone, we’re not capable of distributing this solution on the massive scale that the world requires. But by mobilizing our teams to work together with bigger partners, we could distribute a solution worldwide. We could create the first platform that offers all developers, NGOs and businesses, a way to quickly develop mobile apps to boost solutions: health, logistics, tracking, payments, etc. Connectivity would be possible in areas considered unconnected, and critical services would be made available where they’re needed most.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
Be-Bound has developed the best image compression algorithm on the market, called Bitbuffer. Apps can have better transmission over 3G and 4G networks and a new ability to travel over the SMS network. Images can be sent via any mobile network, even GSM. Digital ID authentication becomes possible even in rural areas. Data and images always get through no matter the quality of the network.
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