Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities

[Al Hammond]

A resource that describes briefly many such efforts can be found on line
at www.digitaldividend.org--our Clearinghouse, with over 900 ICT for
development projects. Quite a few are basic connectivity efforts--both
networks, like n-Logue, EID Parry's Corners, ITC echoupal, etc., as well
as access points like telecenters (we list more than 100).  These
efforts vary widely--see our in-depth case studies of several of them
also posted at that site, and our analysis of telecenters.  In general,
all face high connectivity costs, and some also face regulatory barriers
or opposition from legacy telcoms; virtually all those in our database
seek to foster development.

Most of the telecenters do not have sustainable business models, and
will probably eventually fail. Many of the emerging networks that seem
sustainable target their efforts--eg to rural farmers, in the case of
ITC echoupal. Most use phone-line connectivity or VSAT, but n-Logue is
using wireless links. We believe that emerging wireless technologies
will dominate efforts to provide low-cost connectivity in the coming
years--both MESH networks using WiFi, and larger area networks using
WiMax.

In some areas, newer cellular networks may also compete for basic
connectivity, primarily because they already have a successful business
base, and we have documented a number of instances where cellular
companies are providing singificant social value (Grameen Telecom,
Vodacom Phone Shops).


Allen L. Hammond
Vice President for Innovation  Special Projects
World Resources Institute
10 G Street NE
Washington, DC 20002  USA
V (202) 729- 
F (202) 729-7775
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.wri.org
www.digitaldividend.org





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Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities

[Dipak Basu]

The Moderator has asked:

 * Week 1: What activities are bringing connectivity to under-served
communities? (10/27 - 10/31)

NetHope www.nethope.org has a slightly different model. NetHope is a
consortium of non-profits who work with under-served communities around
the world. NetHope attempts to improve basic community development,
healthcare and relief efforts by connecting case workers who work with
these communities to the Internet and provide them with IP Telephony
services. We have been successful in our endeavors in several difficult
regions of the world in terms of telecom infrastructure, and are in
process of adding 45 countries to the seven we have already addressed
(including Afghanistan, Iraq and Liberia).

 * Week 2: How much bandwidth is necessary to have a real impact on
development... and why? (11/3 - 11/7)

For our target locations we have standardized on VSAT links with 64
kbps uplink/512 kbps downlink. This serves LANs of 10 PCs or less.  For
smaller 2 to 3 person project sites we are using RBGANs with
32kbps/128kbps. These are desired VSAT/RBGAN rates. Our usual
experience has been 50% to 75% of these numbers based on contention
ratios.


Regards
Dipak Basu  
Executive Director, NetHope 
Cisco Systems, Inc
170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95070, USA
Direct: +1 408 526 4514
Mobile: +1 408 895 9588
www.nethope.org




This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by the dot-ORG USAID Cooperative
Agreement, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org provides
more information.
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To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to:
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