HERMES, an open-source system developed by the nonprofit Rhizomatica, uses high-frequency radio to transmit digital information. In an IEEE Spectrum interview, founder Peter Bloom described its use with remote and off-grid communities.
The system can move files such as messages, photographs and voice recordings rather than relying solely on someone reading information over a voice channel. Bloom described links of roughly 400 to 600 kilometers using small radios and discussed work in countries including Bangladesh, Brazil and Ecuador.
The interview also notes optional encryption. Its availability should not be confused with permission to use it under every radio authorization. The appropriate operating rules and equipment requirements depend on the intended location and service.
Choose the communications task first
For a company serving a remote site, the starting point should be the information that must move. A compact status update, a maintenance record and a live video session impose very different requirements. Treating all three as a generic need for internet access can obscure useful alternatives.
A practical evaluation can specify message size, acceptable delay, delivery confirmation, power needs and who will maintain the installation. It should also identify how an operator knows a message arrived and what happens when the preferred link is unavailable.
Resilience often begins with a narrower, clearer communications requirement. A system that reliably carries essential records can have value even if it does not resemble broadband. The project is worth watching as an example of matching communications design to local conditions, with technical performance, operator training and applicable radio rules evaluated together.