Binary files may be attached to messages or transferred by separate file request. All routing and delivering is transparent to the user. This collaboration is devoted to using satellites for health, humanitarian, and development purposes in developing countries. Top of page Telephone Fidonet, developed in an experimenter community similar to that of Amateur Radio, provides an economical alternative to a fully-connected Internet. FidoNet networks transfer electronic mail by a series of scheduled telephone calls, or polls.
Nodes stay connected for only the period of time necessary to transfer the messages.
This FidoNet-based service is kept affordable for HealthNets in the developing world because the Boston office calls are billed at U.S. rates rather than rates set by PTTs. This allows HealthNet users to send and receive electronic mail to and from users on the global Internet. All 54 countries in Africa now have Internet access via at least one Internet Service Provider. However, continued high costs make it difficult for professionals to become connected. All rights reserved.