BandZ: Internet Enabled on The Blockchain.

The advent of internet is one of the greatest inventions of man. It has created a whole new access to an endless supply of information as well as knowledge.

There is no end to what you can learn or do with the internet, banking and even shopping can be done with the internet. It has also provided a whole lot of jobs as people now offer online services which is relatively cheaper.

However, as ubiquitous as the internet is, it is not perfect. There are underlying problems which needs to be solved.

Yes, the internet connects people from all over the world, yet, it is alarming that apart from developed countries like the United States, Japan, other countries suffer slow and unavailable network.

Many African countries like Chad, Niger, and Somalia have single-digit percentage of their respective populations with internet access, and internet speeds vary wildly from country to country.

Another problem is the ever rising demand for more bandwidth. We all want to get higher definition movies. We want better user interfaces for our favourite apps and websites. Also, because of the wide access it has, the internet has provided a wide access to hackers and cyber criminals.

We are overdependent on major internet service providers which leaves us helpless to change the decisions they make on our behalf which includes bandwidth, price rates among others.

It is often thought that the internet is a single independent entity but the truth is there are so many factors which is responsible for its development and maintenance.

However, for the internet to overcome these problems for a bright future, there must be a collective collaboration from the major players in the industry and even government agencies in order to effect meaningful changes.

Here is where Bandz comes in.

What is Bandz?

Bandz is derived from the word "bandwidth".
Bandwidth is the measure of data that can be transferred within interlinked communication systems. To put simply, bandwidth is the amount of "internet" one can use.
The Bandz vision is to create an ultrafast, ubiquitous, "distributedly managed" global extranet powered by the Blockchain. All of the individual peers will be their own intranets and provide each other with enterprise grade VPN security and robust internet connectivity. They will pay each other with bandwidth denominated in Bandz so that the system pays everyone within it as the members use it.

That is a brief summary of what Bandz is all about.
Bandz wants to decentralize the internet.

What are the benefits of a decentralized internet using Bandz?

There are two aspects of benefit here, the benefit to the Internet Service Providers(ISPs) and the benefit to individual users.

Benefits to ISPs

1. Provision of Mesh Networks that would help them extend their reach to untapped regions like Africa, Middle East and part of South America thereby expanding their customer base.

2. Better Security, VPN and Proxies achieve this.
   Decrease congestion speed and increased internet accessibility.

3. A solution to Network Congestion
   Promote Customer loyalty. Most customers abandon their chosen ISPs for cheaper data alternatives at any given opportunity. With Bandz, customers gain satisfaction.

4. Integration of ISPs through the Bandz network. Its software Development kit allows ISPs to work with each other's physical infrastructure through the circulation Bandz token.

5. Increases Average Revenue Per User.

Benefits to Individuals

1. Convenient internet roaming services are provided as opposed to the normal expensive roaming fees as well as restricted internet access.
2. Secure connections
3. Cheap data plans
4. Available WiFi zones
5. Receipt of financial rewards for helping their ISPs with their digital commodities and assets.

Mesh Networks

A Mesh net is a group of smart devices which connect to each other to create a large region of wireless communication (WiFi). This improves internet accessibility and decreases congestion speed.

Network nodes are individually connected to other nodes allowing each connection to carry its own data load and also provides privacy and adequate security.
With Bandz, this ability allows easy fault diagnosis as well as reduced maintenance costs.

VPN Networks
Virtual Private Networks allow secure connection to another network via the internet. Region restricted websites can be accessed and browsing history can be shielded via VPN when using public WiFi.

Originally, VPNs were created with the aim of connecting business networks together over a secure internet. With VPN, you can browse the internet using some other computer's internet connection. If the server you are using is in a different country, you are assured that you would browse anonymously as it would appear as if you are from that country.

A few benefits of VPN are;

1. Anonymous browsing
2. Easy bypass of geographic restrictions on websites
   Security and protection from internet snooping.
3. Helps with internet roaming especially when travelling where local networks are unavailable.

Application of VPN comes with risks but also has enviable benefits. Using proxy servers is an application of VPN which allows access to different IP addresses of countries in which those IP domains are attributed to.

Decentralization of VPN would serve to secure P2P connections, and reduce the friction encountered when accessing this technology.With Bandz, all this is possible.

Intranets and Extranets

Intranets are private networks available and accessible only to members of these private networks. Intranets provide secure space for storing, accessing and developing electronic materials. It serves an organization's digital communication needs.

Extranets are intranets which allow access to a selected set of external users as determined by members of that intranet without giving full access to the intranet itself.

This is used in the business world to encourage cooperation between different companies when working on joint projects allowing adequate information sharing.

Bandz treats each user node as its own contained intranet. Each user node can provide services(VPN, mesh, proxy, bandwidth sharing and additional cloud services) to other users by treating all nodes other than itself as an extranets network.

Using a metered Extranets, P2P transfer systems are monitored. Bandwidth demands of files can be checked.

The Current internet market

Moving outside an ISP area of coverage is a nightmare as users must figure out a way to connect to the internet. Some customers may switch to another network but when this is not possible, finding free Wifi services or buying a local data plan suitable to that place is left. The only other solution which is roaming is quite expensive.

A limitation in infrastructure should not be an hindrance to internet access. Bandz removes this problem by allowing users to share and exchange bandwidth among each other regardless of their location or ISPs. This inevitably reduces data costs without having to switch to another ISP.

Some Use Cases for Bandz

Use case 1
Ben is on a tour and takes beautiful pictures of various locations, he needs to share his pictures on steemit but cannot do that due to the expensive data charges neither can he find free WiFi spots. Ben happily connects to Bandz by buying bandwidth at a fair price from the network.

Use Case 2

Shelly visits her friend in her new home and plans to stay for a few days, she discovers that area is out of coverage for he ISP. She has jobs to submit in a few hours. She could switch to an ISP that works in that area but with Bandz, she doesn't need to. She could connect to Bandz which allows her to browse the internet without the stress of switching to another network.

Use Case 3

Johnny owns a bed and breakfast which is frequented by tourists who complain about limited internet access. Johnny connects to Bandz and shares his network with these tourists in exchange for Bandz tokens which can later be sold or used to purchase bandwidth later.

Bandz tokens and token distribution

Bandz (BNZ) tokens are at the heart of the BandZ network economy. They will be used to purchase and sell bandwidth, VPN and other services on the network.

Meet the awesome team!

For more information, visit
BandZ Website
BandZ WhitePaper
BandZ Telegram
BandZ Linkedin
BandZ Facebook
BandZ Twitter
BandZ Reddit
BandZ Github
BandZ YouTube
All images obtained from BandZ whitepaper or website.
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