Pocket FM

The devices are portable and have the appearance of a receiver rather than a transmitter, making them more practical for citizen use and harder for authorities to detect when used subversively in pirate radio networks.

[3] Radio, as an analog medium, is more difficult than Internet and phone networks to shut down, requires less physical infrastructure, and its use is less dependent on a functional electric grid.

[7] Pocket FM is intended for use in areas with poor or unreliable broadcasting infrastructure, and incorporates several design elements to support its operation in challenging situations.

[6] The third version of the device has GSM, 3G, and Wi-fi capabilities, creating several ways of accessing and operating it remotely, depending on available technology: SMS text message, a web browser, or directly via wireless network.

[5][14][15] But when other modes of communication become unavailable and unbiased reporting is inaccessible, most Syrians still have access to a radio receiver, either as a battery-powered stand-alone device or as part of a cell phone.

[5] Syrnet, a radio network enabled by Pocket FM, launched in September 2013 to provide information that would be censored or manipulated if reported on by state-run media.

[12][16] In addition to allowing for reports to be shared with other regions where the situation may be very different, the use of a structure with multiple centers of operation ensures that a raid on one does not pose an existential threat to the broadcast.

[12][13] The units change hands multiple times in order to get them into the country, ending up with a local resident who has identified a potential location to hide the transmitter, as far from civilian homes as possible without losing the signal.

[8] MiCT is working with Culture Radio, a Freetown media organization, to disseminate information about Ebola to communities in Sierra Leone who have not had access to other campaigns about the disease and its prevention.