The people in Wino have been sending and receiving emails since February 2002, when Sida/the Embassy of Sweden installed an "Email over HF Radio System" in Wino. A data modem and a laptop connected to a short-wave radio transceiver is used to send binary files to a receiving station, Bushlink in Arusha, where the file is relayed to the internet. Bushlink is one of the two commercial providers in Tanzania,offering publicly radio e-mail networks to many locations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The email service has not only provided a means of communication to the Wino people; it has also become an income generating activity for Wino CBOs The income from private emails has been enough to cover the total monthly costs. This is by no means 'broad band' communication as the data speed is only 2000 baud, but it does allow email and thus also facsimile messages to be sent to and from an extremly remote area.This has considerably empowered the Wino villagers.It has also been used by private people to deliver messages of social nature such as death announcements, arrangements of trips and visits,business matters, family issues etc.