Hello, I am wondering if people in Nepal are familial with Meshtastic. Meshtastic is a off grid messenger that uses LoRa chips to communicate. Small ESP32 boards are used and nodes can connect people with phones. Each person would need a node, and a cell phone. Nodes can also be put on a mountain top. As long as you can see a node, and have a good antenna, you can send a message. This messages will go 20 kilometers and sometimes 200 kilometers. Each message can hop three nodes with Meshtastic. This could connect everone remote in Nepal. Lets explain. If each tall mountain has a good solar powered node, and a good antenna. These can be made with an ESP32 board, antenna and a power source. They only take a few watts of power like a cell phone. This might cost $50 USD or so to make. (It might be possible to make for as little as $10 USD.) Anyone who could see that mountain has the ability to send a message. Locally, each person would also need a node, again about the cost of a cell phone or less. ($25USD). When sending the message, the cell phone connects to the little computer (node) by bluetooth. The node then sends the message to every and all nodes it can connect to. The message only hops 3 times. If a cell phone has internet access, it can upload the message to the internet and then download the message to another node that also is connected to the internet. This means short messages can be sent all the way accross the country. Small towns that do not have phone service could have a way to text in and out. Currently, everyone would still need a cell phone (just the phone, and power, no cell service is required), use the android apps, know a little english, and have someone help set things up. Because of the long range of these nodes, Every village in Nepal that does not have mobile phones service, could have a way to text in and out through the meshtastic app. The cost in hardware would be less than $100 USD in each village. It might be as little as $20USD. I think people could buy boards from china and make them cheaply in nepal. It would still take time and money and people to set up the nodes, but it could all work.
It has lots of potential not just in geographically/topologically challenged areas but also where internet access and classic comms limited and is looked at in many places as an āemergencyā back-up service (though as ever with RF & ISM would not consider as life critical applocation, though you might say any port in a storm - literally!) However, this is the TTN Forum funded by TTI and is specifically for LoRaWAN (not LoRa P2P) and TTN related discussions hence this is off topic here as not LoRaWAN and not TTNā¦ for anyone looking for more on this GIYF 
Very nice mesh project. I have a small network of them.
I would like to know how you get down to USD10 for - node + solar panel + battery + antenna (descent) + coax + enclosure + a bit wire - I canāt get close to that.
Very handy to get some communication going if there is nothing. I am looking at expanding the network as we had several towns out for a week now with no communications, no internet, no cell phone, no power.
Then this it for TTN Sandbox and not other networks.
And more importantly this thread is for the specified TTN Community and should not be hijacked! - Would be wrong to have to close/silence a community thread so please take the discussion to another forum (PM each other to agree where to go then dont use to PM on this topic - as still uses TTI resouces 
). Note not against - as a long term LoRa person from many years before LoRaWAN and even before TTN was a twinkle in Weinkeās or Johanās eye Iām also interested generally as a LoRa based system - you might highlight where discussed, but we have to be fair to TTI/TTN . As we have threads assigned for alternate LoRa using networks (Helium comparatives, AMZ Sidewalk etc.) I will discuss if we should allow a Meshtastic discussion thread (not this one!) - not least as I know - certainly here in EU & EMEA generally - they are looking to be poor spectrum users/neighbours by pushing the narrow band around 895Mhz where there is higher duty cycle and Tx pwr allowance rather than the 0.1% and 1% channels/bandsā¦that is also where LoRaWAN commonly sets the GW DL/TX channels (for same reasons - as allows for range and more importantly supporting LoRaWAN Nodes at scale!). If plans dont change I can forsee a major congestion issue and clashes with public and private LoRaWAN networks if they are successful in scaling their deployment. Also as part of mesh structure each message sent can potentially trigger at least 3 if not fours more āpass it onā messages and across many many downstream points hence scares me that there can be a flood of (very long range, high powered) messages that would make confirmed downlinks in LoRaWAN look like a great idea!!! Another reason for not directly supporting/facilitating here! As oft stated - just because you CAN does NOT mean you SHOULD!, so any Meshtastic users reading this please think on and respect the sparce spectrum
@descartes @kersing maybe a Mods group hug needed to discuss with TTI Core guidance?
It would seem a fellow Mod dived in and started moving whilst I was still mid edit causing some comments to orphan and look stupid - ah wellā¦ message delivered!
USE MESHTASTIC WITH EXTREME CAUTION!!!
Closing thread until we have opportunity to discuss agree options.
Iāve moved this to a new topic so I can vent.
Whoever @tooth_pick is, they arenāt using the user name on the Meshtastic Discourse site which is a bit of a red flag.
Iām pretty sure that LoRa canāt see round mountains and the phrase āIf each tall mountain has a good solar powered node, and a good antenna.ā for Nepal shows a lack practicality.
And then there is the whole āThis might cost $50 USD or so to make. (It might be possible to make for as little as $10 USD.)ā - as observed by @Johan_Scheepers whilst pushing the boundaries is again showing a lack of practicality - Iām pretty sure the batteries wonāt last without some heating.
And then there is the economics: āLocally, each person would also need a node, again about the cost of a cell phone or less. ($25USD).ā. Cell phone at $25??? But more importantly, 45% of the population earns less than $3.20 a day.
LoRa is very likely to be a prime candidate - Iāve done a small amount of consultancy for a Pakistan co-op on comms for mountainous terrain - but this whole post is just a little disingenuous.
Shouldnāt be the case, I moved everything ā¦
Think they are in US - (Comcast network IP?!) - Meshtastic - a US LLC?
And a message for all the other disaster radio projects that exist - stop competing with each other and you are no use what so ever if the kit isnāt in place & locals trained PRE-disaster.
Using drones to drop mysterious tech when bandages are more useful is not a thing either.