Grand Challenge: Critical Networking Infrastructure in a Suitcase

In an underserved rural area or in the days following a significant disaster, a team of five people deploy and operate for at least six months replacement network infrastructure that provides all necessary communication services to those within its coverage area. This deployment should take no more than three days to cover a small city of 20,000 people, providing equivalent services to the telephone network, cable network, and conventional Internet services. The deployment must be robust to challenging environmental conditions, unreliable power and transit infrastructures, and malicious activities such as the wide-spread looting that often occurs following significant disasters. It must support both commercial and life-critical emergency communication. The subsequent operation and upkeep of the network must require at most two people.