Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] What's on the Horizon?
Dear GKD Members: It is interesting to note the emphasis on policy. I for one, based on my education and experience base have come to believe that the Governments must not make technology choices and it should be best left to the forces that are well experienced in using it to the purposes they get paid for. However, who creates the policy? The government? Do they have adequate capacity to develop a policy framework for all their citizens or optimising global goals? Yes and NO! That is precisely why policies differ across governments and international organisations. We have not been able to create an agreed framework that may make policy-making itself a task that yields expected results. So the policy ends up becoming largely dependent on who in particular wrote it, who backs it up and who takes more than a fair share of interest in it. Having said that, there are a few intriguing developments that some of us may like to note: All international calls out of India begining 20th Nov are going to be charged @ $0.14 (14 cents approx but less than 15 US cents). This is way below what is available to anyone living in the heaven of telecom (fixed lines only) users called the USA. They will still be paying upwards of 49 cents a minite to call India and more for calling the rest of the developing world! So when a villager from India can call his alien US resident kids for 15 cents instead of the usual $3 they have been used to and that had come down to 40 cents lately, it will bring in a different kind of knowledge transfer, behavioural changes, and contribute its few cents worth to development. Once again made possible by a very competitive market where notoriously bad investment made by a government will profitably make it competitive vis a vis the leaders of technology such as ATT and the likes. Sincerely, satish jha 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. To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] The Importance of Speech
Some interesting thoughts here. A couple of months ago the NY Times had a feature on voice e-mail (v-mail) entitled The Talking E-Mail Blues. Search their site http://www.nytimes.com or read part of it at http://lists.kabissa.org/lists/archives/public/a12n-forum/msg00034.html with add'l comment re v-mail in the African context. The various potential audio + image + text uses of ICT are really only beginning to be explored. Perhaps societies with stronger oral traditions will find different combinations than those of us from the North would come up with... Audio and text don't have to be an either/or choice in some applications. Same language subtitling (SLS; rather like closed captioning) could be added to video + audio web presentations, perhaps as an option to be activated by a toggle key or click. SLS is used some in film TV in India as a literacy tool. I've heard suggestions of using it with music videos of African artists for similar uses, or use by students studying those languages. Such could be done via the web also. Don Osborn Bisharat.net Pat Hall [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This discussion line has taken a really interesting turn, moving towards the use of speech. Even though literacy rates are rising, writing and using keyboards and other input devices is still a barrier for maybe half the worlds population. I am not sure that Cliff had this in mind, but Vickram has a wonderful idea here for voice e-mail, not that difficult stuff of phoning somebody and leaving a 'voice-mail' message if they are not there, but the real thing, voice messages 'posted' through the Net. But how about going further than this, and having voice only web-sites, with technology available to help people who cannot read and write to compose their own websites and through that share their knowledge with others? 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. To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Improving Access Via Mobile Telephony
Concerning Al Hammond's remarks below, we all know that GSM cellular networks and prepaid cards have resulted in affordable voice communications for communities without adequate wired services. It is true these networks can also be used for low-speed data transmission. I have used existing cellular networks in Uganda to transmit HIV/AIDS survey data within the country. The total cost of the additional hardware and software required is perhaps less than USD $300. -gmc Gordon M. Cressman Director, ICT Programs, International Development Group RTI International Al Hammond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think William Lester and Fola Odufuwa are pointing out something important--the potential of cellular networks to provide data connectivity inexpensively, if imperfectly. As converged devices proliferate and newer network technologies spread to developing countries, these problems will ease--and in the meantime, the installed user base is more than twice that of the Internet and growing more rapidly. Phones already have the potential to provide secure ID (combining voice and face recognition at the server level), and can serve as powerful transaction platforms (see the current micro-entrepreneur reseller activity with Smart Buddy in the Phillipines.) Whether WiFi-like or cellular solutions are most feasible may depend as much on the regulatory environment (what's legal) and on the openness to innovation in cellular providers. 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. To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Improving Access Via Mobile Telephony
On the topic of using GSM networks for more than voice, our project in Uganda is now underway. This is a pilot combining the GSM service with handheld computers and an access point that will allow us to create a store and forward data network for health workers. For more information see http://pda.healthnet.org/. Obviously, it remains important to stay open to all possibilities - but to keep the focus on content. What we are communicating will dictate the most effective means. Something might be urgent and be best communicated by a phone call. It might be a short statement best served by an SMS message. Perhaps it is a longer document with less urgency - in which case we can use a store and forward system like that we are using in Uganda to consolidate the traffic from many users in one phone to a central server call during a non-peak periods. In designing such systems it is important to focus on integration and on open source solutions where possible so that we don't end up with multiple incompatible and expensive systems. Holly Ladd Executive Director SATELLIFE 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. To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Improving Access Via Mobile Telephony
The regulatory environment is very poor for Wi-Fi in developing countries. Please refer to the growing list of countries and their regulations here: http://openict.net/projects/openspectrum/ (choose ByCountry) The reality on the ground is that MOST developing countries do NOT have the proper regulations to make Wi-Fi possible. They need to issue Open Spectrum licenses (for free use of the correct spectrum) but have not done so yet. This situation is taken advantage of by the incumbent telephone companies who in many cases use the lack of proper regulation to shut down inexpensive, open, and often free Wi-Fi systems ... because they see them as competition. For those of you who may have the ability to influence policy ... more open spectrum licenses are needed in developing countries ... simon On Friday, November 21, 2003, Al Hammond wrote: Whether WiFi-like or cellular solutions are most feasible may depend as much on the regulatory environment (what's legal) and on the openness to innovation in cellular providers. -- anti-spam: do not post this address publicly www.simonwoodside.com -- 99% Devil, 1% Angel 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. To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
[GKD-DOTCOM] The Role of the Private Sector
Many GKD members have argued that the for-profit private sector must play a key role in expanding access to underserved communities. The notion is appealing. The 2003 UNCTAD E-commerce and Development Report states that in 2002, 32% of the world's Internet users were in developing countries, and they are likely to constitute 50% of the total by 2007. That's a lot of demand to attract private sector investment. GKD members also seem to agree that a crucial element in extending access is an open, transparent policy environment that encourages competition. Yet relying on for-profit firms to extend access can be problematic, even in the right policy environment. If donors and government want to realize universal access, they may have to distort the market by providing venture capital, loans, training, and other types of support to encourage companies, including local entrepreneurs, to serve poor, rural, isolated communities. Otherwise, the market may never be large enough for companies to invest the time and money it takes to develop services/products for underserved communities. And non-profits that do provide solutions may be unable to generate sufficient revenues to continue without subsidies. KEY QUESTIONS: 1. What specific elements does a policy environment need in order to encourage the private sector to expand access to poor, isolated, underserved areas? Where do such policies exist? 2. What lessons have we learned about the risks and rewards of creating public-private partnerships to expand access to the underserved? Where have these lessons been applied, and where have they worked? 3. What are specific, unexploited opportunities for public-private partnerships to expand access to the underserved? Please provide examples where these opportunities can be exploited effectively. 4. What concrete lessons have we learned about stimulating/supporting local businesses to extend access to the underserved? Please be specific. Where have these lessons been applied effectively? 5. Within underserved communities, women often face special difficulties becoming ICT providers (e.g., lack of capital, education, competing demands for time). Are there particular approaches that can be used to support women entrepreneurs who want to offer ICT access to underserved communities, beyond the 'Grameen cell phone' model? 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. To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
