_qaul.net_ implements a redundant open communication principle that directly allows Wi-Fi-enabled computers and mobile devices to form a spontaneous network. Chat and Twitter functions as well as movie streaming become accessible independently of the Internet and cellular networks. _qaul.net_ spreads like a virus and an open-source community may modify _qaul.net_ as needed.

Digital means of communication are shaping our times. We are now able to follow revolutionary upheavals and dramatic natural catastrophes almost in real time. Yet the seemingly unlimited flow of information covers up our actual communication conditions.

t times of communication blackouts in Egypt, Burma or Tibet and the large power outages often caused by natural disasters, _qaul.net_ has taken on the challenge of critically investigating individual communication conditions while exploring new horizons together.

During the demonstrations in Egypt in January 2011, all Internet and mobile phone connections were shut down completely for six days. This blackout marked a caesura, as did other Internet crackdowns, such as those in Myanmar in 2007, Tibet in 2008, Iran and the Uighur territories in 2009 as well as in Libya in 2011. Also during the massive earthquakes in Haiti in 2010 and Japan in 2011, cellular antennas did not work and the remaining networks became overloaded – this meant that people in distress could not call for help.

Free network connections for everyone have often been discussed. Mesh networks such as _Funkfeuer_ are based on OLSR (Open Link State Routing). And although wireless cards increasingly support ad-hoc modes, they have failed to spread because of a lack of the necessary configurations and standards. Then self-networking becomes a matter of trial-and-error, which makes it – for all practical purposes – inconsequential next to the growing list of commercial providers and their systematic elimination of competitors.

_qaul.net_ implements OLSR, transferring the network directly to wireless devices, and combines server and router software with applications. Network and operation become one. Open-source software are available under the terms of the GPL (GNU Public License) and so may be used free of charge as well as developed further.

Nowadays, Wi-Fi routers form a dense network and if modified properly even have a range of up to 300 kilometers. Yet _qaul.net_ is not primarily about connecting routers but individual computers and mobile devices. The focus is on the neighborhood and collaborating, and this results in much denser networks. Moreover, spontaneous networks between different devices may be established at any time. Network access is not central but passed on like a virus. When users gain Wi-Fi access with _qaul.net_, they can download and install the software directly via this connection. Anyone who has a Wi-Fi-enabled device can participate, expand an existing network or create their own.

In the digital age we are informed by communication conditions that are prerequisites of freedom of speech and information. _qaul.net_ creates tools with which we can jointly probe general design options. This communication tool can bridge gaps in the infrastructure or spread spontaneously in the event of a power outage. And even when it is used just for fun, _qaul.net_ sensitizes people to the infrastructure, conditions and dependencies – and offers an incentive to try new forms of networking.

The word “qaul” is Arabic and means statement, speech or word and is pronounced like the English word “call”. _qaul.net_ reverses the maxim of global and free communication, and – from the perspective of the here and now – looks out into the neighborhood and from there out into the big wide world. As a tribute to the Arab insurgents, this project works like a group of activists who have joined forces and so dare to test their own potential for action as a beacon against a dominant, seemingly immovable power structure.

Links: http://www.qaul.net/a12

Supported by: Migros Kulturprozent, Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Kultur BAK.

**Christoph Wachter & Mathias Jud** (CH) have worked together on participatory community projects since 2000. They have received awards from, e.g., Ars Electronica, Transmediale, the Saxon State Ministry for Science and the Arts, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Migros Cultural Percentage, Canton of Zurich, CYNETART and EMARE.