Case Study: Connecting growers with customers online

Growing mushrooms in a few sheds in one's backyard seems as low-tech as it gets. Yet over time, Frengki Duwith has become a savvy online marketer.

"Only if we see that the mushrooms are plentiful and ripe do we start sending messages out on social media," says Frengki. 

"If we post without considering timing, the orders and inquiries come in too fast." This can lead to disappointed customers. 

Frengki lives in Sorong, Indonesia. It's the largest city in the province of Papua, but the total population of the municipality is only about 250,000. He used to be a driver but switched to mushroom farming about five years ago, learning many of the required skills by watching YouTube videos. 

He really enjoys it, especially as one of the benefits is working with his wife. Theirs is the oyster mushroom, a large white species widely used in kitchens worldwide.

When the mushrooms are ripe, they have to be sold off quickly. Frengki's house is not near any major road, but it's not a problem. 

"We are supported by the power of the Internet and social media," says Frengki.

 "When we post online, people living as far away as Jayapura, Manokwari, south Sorong, and even Java contact me and sometimes even visit me."

As connectivity keeps on improving in remote parts of Indonesia like Papua, it opens up new opportunities. Frengki is not only a beneficiary of the changes taking place, but he's also teaching others about entrepreneurship through a local NGO he co-founded, Papua Muda Inspiratif.

"We want to serve as role models," adds Frengki. "We are determined to help motivate others to become entrepreneurs."

Connectivity is playing a foundational role in fostering development throughout Indonesia. The national government has a policy to provide everyone in the archipelago of 17,500 islands with a decent connection, no matter where they live. Huawei is working hard with its local partners to make that ambitious vision become reality.

Huawei has developed a wide range of products, technologies, and know-how to provide connectivity for the tens of millions of people around the world who are still unconnected. 

This includes low-cost antennas, solar power, batteries, energy-management systems, and a vast range of microwave links that can reach isolated communities.

The solutions can be basic and highly affordable or more sophisticated, depending on local needs. Huawei's highly economical RuralStar solution represents a complete rethink of base station design. 

RuralStar is made up of robust but simple telecommunications components. The kit requires so little energy to operate that a few solar panels are enough. More complex "Butterfly Sites" are set up on taller antenna poles. They typically can provide network coverage over several frequency bands and can serve a wider territory because of their height.