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FireChat launches off-the-grid private messaging service for smartphones

FireChat's OM service uses peer-to-peer technology to send private, encrypted messages between two smartphones, without internet or a cellular network.

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Open Garden, the creator of FireChat, today announced the introduction of its new off-the-grid private messaging technology (‘OM’). For the first time ever, you can now send send private messages to people anywhere, even if you aren’t connected to the Internet or to a cellular network.

All communication apps today require Internet access and protocols. When Internet access or cellular phone networks are not available or congested, communication apps cannot work. But FireChat can. For the first time, people can now communicate using their smartphones without a data plan or even a network. Thanks to its peer-to-peer mesh networking technology and ‘store and forward’ capabilities, FireChat transmits messages from phone to phone until the messages reach the intended recipient. For example, if all networks were down in a city, it would take less than 5% of the city’s population on FireChat to cover the entire city with an average message delivery time of 10 minutes.

Enabling large scale offline messaging required solving challenging technological issues including: off-the-grid identity, addressing, routing, encryption, and interoperability between operating systems. All FireChat private messages are encrypted from end to end. Only the sender and recipient can read a private message. No one else has access to the content of private messages. This technology delivers a brand new way to create communication networks that do not require capital, scale infinitely and can spread rapidly.

“Forget SMS and IM, here comes ‘OM.’ Off-the-grid messaging allows any community to create their own network for instant public and private communications, regardless of available infrastructure and traditional centralized networks,” said Micha Benoliel, co-founder and CEO of Open Garden. “This innovation paves the way for the next evolution of the Internet: networks created by the people, for the people.“

This technology is available now as a free app available for Android and iOS devices. You can download FireChat here.

 

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