International Alternative Networks
The global network of alternative communications is expanding and emerging. Its strength lies in cooperation via social organizing and media reform initiatives to change information and communication to the benefit of all. These networks differ in terms of space in terms of type, focus and location but are joined by their non-commercial nature and resistance to imperialist power dynamics. International alternative networks consist of individuals, non-profit organizations and local sites that advocate the idea of democratizing information and promoting communication reforms. They also develop new infrastructures for communication to aid local connections as well as global and regional changes with respect to social movement groups. They also build a lattice of regional, local (especially south-south) and trans-national links that bypass imperial north-south patterns.
Around the globe alternatives to media started to be noticed in the early 1990s. They took advantage of the newly-available alternatives to the corporate production media channels to promote their message of consumer development and community empowerment. Initially they were local, but then merged, and linked around national, and regional boundaries to create a greater media choice for all.
These alternatives, in contrast to the traditional infrastructure of communications that is heavily dependent on capital investments, depend on volunteers to run them. As such, they can offer lower costs and more flexible services for customers. They can also deploy infrastructure that is more agile, allowing them to deploy 5G technology more quickly and expand coverage areas more effectively. This will assist businesses to compete more effectively in the marketplace by ensuring their customers have access without delay to the latest technology.