Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
On Monday, December 1, 2003, Robert Miller wrote: Simon Woodside wrote: WorldSpace is a broadcast system. With a WorldSpace system you are only capable of receiving data, not sending it. I wish to disagree in that we are currently using WorldSpace very effectively as a global multicast solution to refresh all of the Axxess servers that Advanced Interactive currently has installed across Africa. With a dialup line as a back channel the server maintains contact with the global Network Operations Center that remotely manages this entire network. ..[snip statements I agree with]... let us not discount this technology where a differentiated last mile solution can manage its shortcomings and turn 1-way downlink with a server managed dialup back channel into a viable way of a sustainable affordable connected community. Robert, your post has raised more questions than it answered. Thus far, WorldSpace has been billed as a beachhead information system that can be deployed in areas that have no communications infrastructure. I think I'm convinced at this point that's a valid development, though not one I would ever pursue. It's been assumed so far that once an internet connection is available, the internet is superior. And yes -- since on the internet, my rural users can talk back, hold conversations, email their relatives, use VoIP -- all impossible with WorldSpace. Now you have described a situation which adds a dialup to the regular WorldSpace receiver unit. But why would anyone bother with WorldSpace at all if they have dialup internet access? We run the risk of applying a technology (WorldSpace) just because we can in that situation. simon -- 99% Devil, 1% Angel homepage http://www.simonwoodside.com for the developing world http://www.openict.net member of http://www.mozilla.org/projects/camino 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
After lurking on the list for more than a week, allow me to introduce myself. I am director for the Uconnect Schools Project. Our NGO is providing computers to mostly rural primary and secondary schools in Uganda. Schools pay something less than $200 for each computer, which is enough for us to continue to purchase and ship additional recycled equipment needed for the expansion of the project. The overriding aim is that the project should be sustainable, scalable and reproducible: schools provide their own transport for taking delivery of equipment; students and teachers are trained at Uconnect workshops at education ministry headquarters for installing their own LANs; and computer labs are opened to the parents and community after school hours on a fee-paying basis as schools-based telecentres. Our NGO's train-the-trainer programme has demonstrated that training the indigenous youth is a key component in the successful expansion of any such project, and that their supervision and training can be done remotely through Internet technologies. Bob Miller has already made interventions to the list about Advanced Interactive's SchoolWeb solution. I would only add that we have been quite impressed with their solution, so much so that we have begun a pilot project involving the installation of SchoolWeb servers at forty mostly rural schools. WorldSpace seemed to offer the low cost connectivity solution we were looking for. Certainly the one-time equipment costs were low, at around $200 per radio, with satellite data receiver and antenna (for bulk purchase of forty or more units). But I was not happy with the recurrent fees proposed by WorldSpace for our schools project: $180 monthly (for between 40 and 100 schools) per school for 500 Mb of download. Added to other recurring costs, monthly server maintenance, monthly dialup subscription at $30, and airtime fees averaging $1.05 per minute (for GSM data - for most rural schools the only means for Internet uplink), the WorldSpace recurring fees I was quoted were not even competitive with two-way satellite services offered locally, such as the Hughes Network Solutions DirectWay (Afsat's I-Way) which provides 1 Gb monthly for around $250. We are again in the hunt for a more cost-effective connectivity solution for the rural schools. Kind regards, Daniel Stern 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
My main concern about WorldSpace is that it is billed as a communication system. Most electronic communication systems are two-way, they allow conversations. But WorldSpace is one-way. It is, in fact, a broadcasting system, not a communications system. Just as you would call TV a broadcast system. WorldSpace users are passive observers. I think it is a good broadcast system. It supports data broadcasting, which is new and has many uses. But if we are talking about ICT, information and communications technologies, this is an IT, not a CT. While communications systems involve connections and interaction, broadcasting involves transmitters and receivers. Although WorldSpace's own websites are very careful to speak only of transmission and reception, others make mistakes. The WorldSpace satellite network is an innovative communication technology that enables people to access information even in the remotest villages where there are no telephone lines or electricity. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1608394.stm The unique, patented technology allows inexpensive connectivity to the computer directly from the satellite. http://thinkcycle.media.mit.edu/thinkcycle/main/ development_by_design_2002/ publication__innovative_internet_access_to_a_remote_school_in_kenya/ Implementation_of_SchoolWeb_Project_at_Kabarak_High_School.pdf The internet is very poor at broadcasting. But it's excellent as a communication medium. As another person recently wrote: Because the WorldSpace product is a satellite receiver, there's no back-channel for data upload. As a result, you can't send email, request additional cached webpages or give feedback on whether a particular piece of content is useful. http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/xdev/22.html So, in conclusion. WorldSpace is an innovative and obviously useful information dissemination tool. But, on the other hand, a basic, slow email system (even with intermediaries) is better at communication. simon On Friday, November 28, 2003, David J.A. Sawe wrote: Arguably, the initial step towards joining the information society is to receive information, and not to transmit blindly. In the same way, a newborn's first breath is always to inhale and not to exhale. Especially in terms of educating, informing and entertaining, there is much that can be achieved through being able to merely receive broadcasts. If this were not the case, then the traditional forms of media dissemination (ie. radio/TV/print) could never have become as pervasive as they are now in our more privileged urban areas. So WorldSpace satellite radio receivers bring about inclusivity by merely offering a new option for reliably receiving high quality audio and data content in locations hitherto excluded from any of the traditional media forms. Of course, as with traditional broadcast media, other options would need to be looked into on a case-by-case basis to contribute anything in return; but at the outset, this requirement is not a sine qua non. -- 99% Devil, 1% Angel anti-spam: do NOT post this address publicly homepage http://www.simonwoodside.com for the developing world http://www.openict.net member of http://www.mozilla.org/projects/camino 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Simon Woodside wrote: WorldSpace is a broadcast system. With a WorldSpace system you are only capable of receiving data, not sending it. I wish to disagree in that we are currently using WorldSpace very effectively as a global multicast solution to refresh all of the Axxess servers that Advanced Interactive currently has installed across Africa. With a dialup line as a back channel the server maintains contact with the global Network Operations Center that remotely manages this entire network. In addition to providing high speed local access to Internet content that is refreshed nightly, the WorldSpace downlink also enables distributed Distance Learning content to be reliably delivered to every server through very low cost multicast. Through partnerships with a number of North American universities projects are being finalized to deliver curriculum to these distributed servers that sit on the campus of Universities in China, India, and Africa. This Intellectual Property is encrypted and totally secure, yet remotely accessible by the content developer. While WorldSpace in its native state has been a one way channel, this innovation leverages their low cost delivery medium in exciting new ways that extends the reach of distributed and e-learning to edges of habitation, regardless of existing infrastructure. And, as a number of other satellite providers also provide affordable multicast services, let us not discount this technology where a differentiated last mile solution can manage its shortcomings and turn 1-way downlink with a server managed dialup back channel into a viable way of a sustainable affordable connected community. Having been in India for the past 2 weeks, I have been able to validate that this model can be effectively deployed here, as well. This very low cost turnkey solution utilizes locally sourced, off the shelf technology that is integrated with the connectivity, content, and remote management of the user experience. Several major universities and colleges in North America have licensed their degree and diploma programs to be globally delivered through this innovative Distributed Distance Education model. This solution will be demonstrated at the World Summit on Information Societies in Geneva Switzerland during the week of Dec 8th. For any participants of this forum who may be attending, please plan to visit the HP booth which will be powered with this solution, including satellite partners such as WorldSpace and others. Regards, Robert Miller Direct: (416) 423-9100 Mobile: (416) 464-7525 Fax: (416) 696-9734 History teaches us that people and nations behave wisely, once they have exhausted all other alternatives Abba Eban 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Indeed, WorldSpace is not a total solution in itself, but only part of a solution in an imperfect situation. I don't see that anybody has yet promoted it as 'a substitute for the real thing'. Thus the risk of that misperception should not cause us to ignore its existence and its potential uses. Arguably, the initial step towards joining the information society is to receive information, and not to transmit blindly. In the same way, a newborn's first breath is always to inhale and not to exhale. Especially in terms of educating, informing and entertaining, there is much that can be achieved through being able to merely receive broadcasts. If this were not the case, then the traditional forms of media dissemination (ie. radio/TV/print) could never have become as pervasive as they are now in our more privileged urban areas. So WorldSpace satellite radio receivers bring about inclusivity by merely offering a new option for reliably receiving high quality audio and data content in locations hitherto excluded from any of the traditional media forms. Of course, as with traditional broadcast media, other options would need to be looked into on a case-by-case basis to contribute anything in return; but at the outset, this requirement is not a sine qua non. So in discussing the use of WorldSpace, I'd suggest it would be more worthwhile to focus on the following two issues: (a) The content delivered by WorldSpace needs to be better adapted for local relevance, but the cost of doing so is too high for local content developers unless they can secure major subsidies. (b) The presence of a WorldSpace receiver in a remote rural setting should be optimised to deliver more than just data connectivity for websites, as its transmissions reach places where traditional media does not exist. Its multimodal (audio and video) capabilities ought to be exploited holistically. I am a user of WorldSpace radio myself, especially whenever I travel by car around East Africa. Its little satellite-dish sits perfectly on the dashboard and is very reliable so long as there are no overhanging obstructions (trees, bridges, etc.) as the satellite is nearly directly overhead. You just can't imagine the excitement it generates whenever people in remote areas get to experience it! Sadly, the only broadcasts I've heard in Kiswahili -- a language spoken by an estimated minimum of 60 million people in East Africa -- are on Voice of Kenya plus the occasional BBC World Service programmes. I am not aware of any other African languages being available on it in this sector. I once enquired from local broadcasters as to why they did not seize this medium to expand their audience. They consistently replied that the cost of up-loading content was unjustifiably high, especially compared to the cost of streaming directly onto the Internet. A few asked me about downloading the audio content for their local broadcasts, which was quite the opposite of my intentions... Now, if that is the reality of the situation for the audio side (where local content is abundant), then the situation for the data side (where local content is relatively more scarce), is necessarily worse. Clearly, WorldSpace have a business model that they must adhere to for sustainability, so it would be unfair to request them to lower their rates. But perhaps this suggests that there is room for some sort of arrangement to sponsor the sharing of channels dedicated to local content among several small-scale broadcasters and/or web-content developers? Cordially David On Wednesday 26 November 2003 23:41, Simon Woodside wrote: WorldSpace is a broadcast system. With a WorldSpace system you are only capable of receiving data, not sending it. While I think WorldSpace is a great and wonderful thing, it's very dangerous if people thinking it's a substitute for the real thing which is an internet connection that allows two-way communication, email, web access, VoIP, web email, content creation, content sharing ... none of those are possible with WorldSpace. So, if you want to be merely an information consumer ... WorldSpace is fine. If you want to join the information society, you need something more. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
WorldSpace is a broadcast system. With a WorldSpace system you are only capable of receiving data, not sending it. While I think WorldSpace is a great and wonderful thing, it's very dangerous if people thinking it's a substitute for the real thing which is an internet connection that allows two-way communication, email, web access, VoIP, web email, content creation, content sharing ... none of those are possible with WorldSpace. So, if you want to be merely an information consumer ... WorldSpace is fine. If you want to join the information society, you need something more. simon On Wednesday, November 19, 2003, Robert Miller wrote: The WorldSpace connection together with this CampusAxxess last mile solution for any school, campus, or village truly narrows the digital divide in an affordable and sustainable way. For more info, contact Dr. S. Rangarajan, Sr. Vice President of WorldSpace at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or me. -- www.simonwoodside.com :: www.openict.net :: www.semacode.org 99% Devil, 1% Angel -- 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
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Aaron Sundsmo's call for low-cost, low-bandwidth email technology is exactly what VITA pushed for many years through the low orbiting satellite store-and-forward email system designed for remote areas. We had wonderful demos using this technology, but, sadly, the technology could not be commercialized on a for-profit basis. Efforts continue, however, on a humanitarian basis. For probably $100K or less, replicable ground segment (ground-based terminals) could be tweaked and field tested (major development has already occurred). For the space segment (satellites) we would either have to go piggy-back on someone else's satellites (using the UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd proven platform) or, if an underwriter could be found for about $3 million, launch a dedicated satellite. If anybody would like more info on this or would like to offer suggestions, please write me offline (and I will be happy to collate/share responses with the network). Gary Gary Garriott ICT for Development Advisor Panama SURF - UNDP PO Box 6314, Zone 5 Panama City, Panama Tel. 507 265 8168/8153 Fax 507 265 8445 Aaron Sundsmo wrote: I completely agree that there always needs to be a feedback loop built into any project. What we are currently doing is using a hub and spokes model where one site has a connection to the Internet (usually dial-up) and can email feedback, but this has generally been very expensive and unreliable. Where this is not available, First Voice is also using telephone, snail mail or face-to-face communications as appropriate. However, we are always looking for a low-cost low-bandwidth connection primarily for email use that can be used in remote areas throughout Africa and Asia and will not require excessive government licensing. If anyone has any suggestions of these technologies I would greatly appreciate it. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
On November 14th, Thaths (Sudhakar Chandra) wrote: This brings to mind something that the satellite radio outfit WorldSpace is doing. The idea is brilliant, in my opinion. You basically buy this satellite radio (approx. $70-100 depending on model). You also buy a computer card to interface with the radio. For a fee (that includes the card free) of approx. $40, you get unmetered limited internet access. The access is limited in the sense that you are restricted to a few WorldSpace approved websites. This would work great if WorldSpace expanded the list of approved sites to include those like Yahoo mail and Hotmail. Unfortunately, they don't. For most people, getting cheap access to a web-based email system like Yahoo mail is a good start. The great news is that WorldSpace is a strategic partner of the CampusAxxess solution that I have spoken about in previous messages. There is now a WorldSpace receiver with a USB connection that plugs directly into the CampusAxxess content server that hosts the school network. In addition to caching educational content requested by teachers and the Ministry of Education in each country, it is also preloaded with a broad range of curriculum from North American universities and colleges, K-12 curriculum content in multi-modal versions (video, text, multimedia) formats. And, it should be noted, that this content is refreshed nightly with any updates to ensure it provides the optimal student or user experience. The WorldSpace connection together with this CampusAxxess last mile solution for any school, campus, or village truly narrows the digital divide in an affordable and sustainable way. For more info, contact Dr. S. Rangarajan, Sr. Vice President of WorldSpace at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or me. Regards Bob History teaches us that people and nations behave wisely, once they have exhausted all other alternatives Abba Eban 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Sudhakar Chandra wrote: This brings to mind something that the satellite radio outfit WorldSpace is doing. The idea is brilliant, in my opinion. You basically buy this satellite radio (approx. $70-100 depending on model). You also buy a computer card to interface with the radio. For a fee (that includes the card free) of approx. $40, you get unmetered limited internet access. The access is limited in the sense that you are restricted to a few WorldSpace approved websites. This would work great if WorldSpace expanded the list of approved sites to include those like Yahoo mail and Hotmail. Unfortunately, they don't. For most people, getting cheap access to a web-based email system like Yahoo mail is a good start. I have greatly appreciated this thread of the conversation and the insight that so many of you have given me. I would like to respond to the mention of WorldSpace technology and to the benefits of being able to provide some level of information to those who are not soon to receive the benefits of WiFi, VSAT or new emerging technologies because of either high cost or government regulation. I work at an organization called First Voice International www.firstvoiceint.org, a small NGO based in Washington, DC, which was given 5% of the WorldSpace satellite network that covers the entire continent of Africa and much of Asia and the Pacific. This satellite network is able to broadcast digital radio and data to small hand held receivers that cost between $70-$150. At First Voice International, we have used this 5% capacity to develop a 24-hour audio service called the Africa Learning Channel, which deals with pan-African issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty alleviation, youth leadership, gender issues, food security and others. First Voice also has a data service that allows one to connect their digital radio to a PC or laptop using a $90 adapter anywhere under the footprint to download content at 64kbps. First Voice then partners with NGOs, CBOs, government agencies and community radio stations who can use this equipment and content to impact the maximum number of people through organized listening groups, informing intermediary service providers or through rebroadcast on one of the 194 partner community radio stations in Africa. This is not a two-way system and one cannot send emails, but what First Voice has done is to partner with organizations that have relevant web-based content that they currently cannot get to remote users because of lack of or the high cost of connectivity. One example of how this system has had actual impact on the ground throughout Africa is the RANET Project. This project, honored at the WSSD last year, is an international collaboration funded by USAID-OFDA and is partnering with US NOAA and African Meteorological Agencies continent wide and is now expanding into Asia and the Pacific. The RANET Project was designed to make weather, climate, and related environmental information more accessible to remote and resource poor populations. Initially, this was attempted through the Internet, but it soon became clear that sending digital images, animation and other memory intensive files simply was not possible even to capital city offices, not to mention more remote extension workers. Now through a partnership with First Voice International the RANET Project is now sending all of its content on a reliable, low-cost dedicated line to partners in 35 African countries in the capital cities, secondary towns and rural areas. Additionally, every site that has the equipment also receives the content from all of First Voice's other projects including medical journals articles, agricultural best practice information, news, community radio support materials and much more. I completely agree that there always needs to be a feedback loop built into any project. What we are currently doing is using a hub and spokes model where one site has a connection to the Internet (usually dial-up) and can email feedback, but this has generally been very expensive and unreliable. Where this is not available, First Voice is also using telephone, snail mail or face-to-face communications as appropriate. However, we are always looking for a low-cost low-bandwidth connection primarily for email use that can be used in remote areas throughout Africa and Asia and will not require excessive government licensing. If anyone has any suggestions of these technologies I would greatly appreciate it. Aaron Sundsmo -- Aaron Sundsmo Director International Programs First Voice International (formerly WorldSpace Foundation) Tel: 202-861-2261 Fax: 202-861-6407 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:
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
On 11/10/03 18:43, Guido Sohne wrote: This is very interesting to me but raises some questions related to practical use and implementation. It basically seems that 'offline' content is being maintained in a somewhat current state by periodically syncing with upstream information. You mention satellite broadcasts, which imply that the information stream is one way. This makes sense to me, because if it was two way, why does one need to mirror content locally, except to save bandwidth (still worth doing!) This brings to mind something that the satellite radio outfit WorldSpace is doing. The idea is brilliant, in my opinion. You basically buy this satellite radio (approx. $70-100 depending on model). You also buy a computer card to interface with the radio. For a fee (that includes the card free) of approx. $40, you get unmetered limited internet access. The access is limited in the sense that you are restricted to a few WorldSpace approved websites. This would work great if WorldSpace expanded the list of approved sites to include those like Yahoo mail and Hotmail. Unfortunately, they don't. For most people, getting cheap access to a web-based email system like Yahoo mail is a good start. Thaths -- Slacker At Largehttp://openscroll.org/ Key fingerprint = 8A 84 2E 67 10 9A 64 03 24 38 B6 AB 1B 6E 8C E4 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
On Wed, 2003-11-05 at 17:14, Robert Miller wrote: And, what if all the content on this server were remotely refreshed nightly via satellite broadcast with any updates so that those content resources were always current as of 2:00 AM that day and were available to students, faculty, and administration at high-speed using a simple, reliable wireless campus network? Yes, this is possible and it is being done today! And, it operated on a financially self-sustaining basis by the University or a local community business person who is charged with providing this reliable service. This is very interesting to me but raises some questions related to practical use and implementation. It basically seems that 'offline' content is being maintained in a somewhat current state by periodically syncing with upstream information. You mention satellite broadcasts, which imply that the information stream is one way. This makes sense to me, because if it was two way, why does one need to mirror content locally, except to save bandwidth (still worth doing!) Another question is how well this fits in with the current state of information out there. It appears that more and more, information is tied towards its source, in the sense that information is not being served raw but through an application, and interacting with an application means bi-directional information flow. Packaging it properly will avoid the problem and enable it to be used offline. IMHO, more efficient use of offline capability is needed to help information penetrate into places where this solution may be used. How much does satellite unidirectional broadcast cost versus bidirectional communication (factor in hardware cost as well as operational cost) ? Practically, I think this sort of approach needs to be combined with a hard look at equipping people with PCs on a large enough scale to really reap benefits. Community telecentres (basically shared access) is useful as a means of alleviating this problem but too much effort seems to be focused on community telecentres instead of on how to put more PCs or lower cost computing/communication devices into the hands of people. And that brings yet another problem, that of what sort of software or interfaces are going to enable these people to take advantage of information, bringing yet another problem into being, of whether the sort of information that they need is really out there. This is somewhat assumed for granted ... 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Hello Thaths and Others: Thaths wrote regarding the issue of viruses becoming bandwidth consumers and ultimately undermining the user experience for students, faculty, and others. While I had discussed the technology behind the solution I wrote about, it provides a remotely managed server that is monitored every 15 minutes to ensure it is healthy and all processes are running properly. It backs itself up each night to protect all of the information stored on it (email, student and faculty web pages, and a personal folder for each user to securely save their work). So this is a more robust solution that just a proxy server - as a matter of fact, its built-in internal and external firewalls have even withstood the rigours of student hackers, often the most creative and dangerous! So, the bottom line is that such solutions are available, affordable, and secure to ensure that resources continue to be available to all authorized users, and the user experience continues to be reliable. In addition, a local Google-like search engine is also built into each CampusAxxess server and can provide users with the ability to search this local repository at network speeds and access Internet web sites that are refreshed nightly to reflect any changes made to the live Internet version. Reliable access to rich content and applications at local area network speeds - sounds easy and it is, but is also the result of a 3 year RD project that was initially co-funded by the Canadian Government Internet RD agency (Canarie) and subsequently launched by the developer, Advanced Interactive, for the international marketplace. If you would like more information, please contact me. Regards Bob Robert Miller EVP Global Inc. Direct: (416) 423-9100 Mobile: (416) 464-7525 Fax: (416) 696-9734 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] History teaches us that people and nations behave wisely, once they have exhausted all other alternatives Abba Eban 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
On Mon, 2003-11-03 at 17:26, Ahmed Isah wrote: In my opinion, Cornelio Hopmann got it all wrong. The issue is not to do with selling a useless product that has no demand. Rather, it has to do with whether the target market is really aware of the benefits of the product to them. This then boils down to illiteracy of the benefits of the Internet to the user. Take my case as an example. We provide a 24 PC Internet connectivity in an academic environment in Nigeria with about 10,000 students and 400 academic staff. Yet, the connectivity was not maximally utilised. However, when we embarked on Internet awareness training to the students, we now have to plan for more PCs as the students continue to troop in. On the contrary. He is making some points that people tend to miss a lot of the time. Internet as Magic Solution to the World's Problems tends to cloud otherwise good vision. You essentially describe a case where you are generating demand which ties in with his point that there is little demand to start with. He is in effect saying the the real demand is at a more basic level (pumping more mundane knowledge into people's brains) to which I might venture to add the possibility that this is what will drive up demand to make the impact of increased connectivity worth the direct cost (and indirect cost from non-executed alternatives given a fixed potential amount of funds). It's sort of the same as the local content issue. No one seems to know what to do with technology in certain areas such as so-called 'sub' Saharan Africa and this results in incomplete ideas, such as just supply bandwidth and some fuzzy benefit and it will all work out fine. I guess people are trying to understand how the action will connect to real benefits especially after having seen decades of failure for development in general. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Hello Robert and others, On 11/05/03 09:14, Robert Miller wrote: With regard to Ahmed's note and the great work he is doing by bringing Internet literacy to the students in his university in Nigeria, what if you could connect one Campus Content server to that Internet connection and locally store many times the content in the US Library of Congress? What if this provided simultaneous access for several hundred users on campus? That is a great idea. When I connected a small college in Kenya to the internet via a 64K VSAT connection, I installed a cacheing transparent proxy server. The first time someone downloaded something, the content would be fetched from the server and stored in the proxy server. For all subsequent downloads, the content would be sent to the local requestor's browser from the cache and not from the server. This vastly improved performance and download speeds. Another advantage of using proxy servers is that the administrator can set up access lists and access times. So, for example, an administrator can configure the proxy such that when a class is in progress, the students would only be able to access the prescribed materials and nothing else. A week after I connected my college, I discovered that the network usage was inordinately high. Looking at the logs I saw too many connections going to Brazil! It was a worm that had infected the lab computers. The network usage was taking up precious bandwidth from legitimate packets. I wrote a two line rule in the proxy server to drop all requests going to the Brazilian site and the network utilization dropped dramatically. Thaths -- Slacker At Largehttp://openscroll.org/ Key fingerprint = 8A 84 2E 67 10 9A 64 03 24 38 B6 AB 1B 6E 8C E4 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Hello All, With regard to Ahmed's note and the great work he is doing by bringing Internet literacy to the students in his university in Nigeria, what if you could connect one Campus Content server to that Internet connection and locally store many times the content in the US Library of Congress? What if this provided simultaneous access for several hundred users on campus? And what if simple low-tech Pentium II that supported Netscape or Internet Explorer were all that was required to access this Internet content, as well as, a myriad of rich content including e-Books, e-Learning courses, video and multimedia resources? etc. were also available to any student on campus, wirelessly could be refurbished Pentium II-class PC's that support either Netscape or Internet Explorer? And, what if all the content on this server were remotely refreshed nightly via satellite broadcast with any updates so that those content resources were always current as of 2:00 AM that day and were available to students, faculty, and administration at high-speed using a simple, reliable wireless campus network? Yes, this is possible and it is being done today! And, it operated on a financially self-sustaining basis by the University or a local community business person who is charged with providing this reliable service. And, when the contagious enthusiasm of turned-on Internet- savvy students demonstrate the power of technology-assisted teaching and learning to the faculty and those in the university's administration, it empowers a paradigm shift in thinking for this University. In addition, this reliable, remotely-managed Campus- wide approach can also include partnerships with international universities (from Canada and US) that currently offer world- class virtual degree and diploma programs to students on their local campus. This is an exciting time as affordable, sustainable, repeatable capabilities such as those described above can bring together world-class computing, global connectivity, content, training, teacher professional development, and virtual support in under- served and developing regions. And, as a result, the digital divide is narrowing with increasing opportunities for literate and articulate people from anywhere in the world to compete for a new breed of virtual jobs in the emerging global information society workforce. Regards Bob Robert Miller EVP Global Inc. Direct: (416) 423-9100 Mobile: (416) 464-7525 Fax: (416) 696-9734 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] History teaches us that people and nations behave wisely, once they have exhausted all other alternatives Abba Eban Ahmed Isah wrote: ...The issue is not to do with selling a useless product that has no demand. Rather, it has to do with whether the target market is really aware of the benefits of the product to them. This then boils down to illiteracy of the benefits of the Internet to the user. Take my case as an example. We provide a 24 PC Internet connectivity in an academic environment in Nigeria with about 10,000 students and 400 academic staff. Yet, the connectivity was not maximally utilised. However, when we embarked on Internet awareness training to the students, we now have to plan for more PCs as the students continue to troop in. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Sorry for the late post...hope it's not too late for this subject. I'm Jim Forster, an engineer with cisco Systems. I thought I'd describe a small effort in Nepal that I'm helping. -- Jim 1. What activities are endeavoring to bring connectivity to under-served communities? Dave Hughes, a long-time advocate of unlicensed wireless for rural connectivity, as been in Nepal helping Tsering Sherpa set up 802.11 for the main Sherpa village of Namche. Namche apparently gets a fair amount of tourist and Mt. Everest climber money, but their telephony service was cut off when the Maoists blew up the government-owned telephone relay tower. Last year Tsering set up a small PBX and supplied voice service to some lodges, and Internet service to some Internet café's in Namche. Last week Tsering and Dave Hughes setup 3 802.11 radios to provide 802.11 service to all of Namche, and via relay to the SPCC National Park HQ. They had planned to provide relay service to a nearby school but will need another radio for that service. When that happens the students will receive English lessons from a Sherpa in Colorado, using VoIP over Internet the whole way -- no PSTN whatsoever. See http://www.linkingeverest.com/gallery/learning for the original idea, and http://www.linkingeverest.com/gallery/hughes-everest?page=4 for pictures of the project underway. 2. What are the goals of these efforts? To what extent are the goals attained? Enable English language lessons and increased educational opportunities through Internet and VoIP. Preserve Sherpa culture by enabling those that must leave to find work to remain in contact with their families and village. Enable the whole village to economically share one VSAT connection. Demonstrate to to the world, through the visiblity that Sherpas have due to Everest, that Internet connectivity is feasible anywhere and economical in many places. 3. Who is being served by these connectivity efforts? Are the benefits widely distributed? Do some groups win and some lose in these connectivity efforts? 4. How do connectivity efforts seek to ensure that all groups benefit? 802.11 coverage of the entire village lowers the barriers. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Hello all, In my opinion, Cornelio Hopmann got it all wrong. The issue is not to do with selling a useless product that has no demand. Rather, it has to do with whether the target market is really aware of the benefits of the product to them. This then boils down to illiteracy of the benefits of the Internet to the user. Take my case as an example. We provide a 24 PC Internet connectivity in an academic environment in Nigeria with about 10,000 students and 400 academic staff. Yet, the connectivity was not maximally utilised. However, when we embarked on Internet awareness training to the students, we now have to plan for more PCs as the students continue to troop in. Yours, Chafe Cornelio Hopmann [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Jean-Marie starts off by saying at first that there is insufficient infrastructure, continuing then that there is limited income, not enough content and applications, no local expertise, no awareness. In any other field of market-economy the straight-forward conclusion would be that you try to sell a useless product and that therefore there is no demand and hence there are neither sales nor much product to sell. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Colleagues: I have great hopes for this discussion as the topic is as relevant today as ever and perhaps more so, given the recent backsliding in rural infrastructure as a direct result of truncated privatization processes. Here in Panama we have an interesting situation. I undertook a mission on behalf of the UNDP country office to the remote Darién region to learn why the public telephones (usually only one per village of 2000 or more inhabitants) don´t work. To my surprise, I found that the basic infrastructure is not only in pretty good shape but relatively sophisticated as well (would support up to 9.6 kbps data). The problem is in the last 100 meters between the rural radio tower/antenna and the telephone booth where situations with relatively simple solutions cause 80-90% of the problems (like people getting their coins and other objects jammed in the coin slots, short circuits in the interconnecting cable because of attempts to rob service, infrequent visits by supervisory personnel to remove full coinboxes). We are now working with the multinational corporation that operates the system and various development programs in the region to come up with a win-win project design that would include community education in system care, basic technical training, and local management. Meanwhile, the government has levied a stiff fine on this multinational for similar problems throughout the country. The company maintains that rural telephones are unprofitable and cannot be easily maintained, even though they constitute a lifeline for thousands of people. This is, of course, only a specific example of a more generic situation, but it was the inspiration behind the attached draft policy position. I would invite comments on it as well as ideas from the community on which organizations/donors might be interested in developing a regional or even a global program to comprehensively address rural connectivity and access issues. (More information on PFNet mentioned in the position note is available at http://www.peoplefirst.net.sb/General/PFnet.htm). Gary Garriott ICT for Development Advisor Panama SURF - UNDP PO Box 6314, Zone 5 Panama City, Panama Tel. 507 265 8168/8153 Fax 507 265 8445 + Rural ICT Infrastructure is the Forgotten Frontier The Position In the rush to jump on the ICT bandwagon, the attention of all donors and implementing agencies tends toward increasingly sophisticated and networked health, education and governance applications in urban areas where the latest hardware, reliable connectivity and available bandwidth are taken for granted. Forgotten are the hundreds of millions of people living in poverty and extreme poverty in rural and isolated regions where fundamental physical infrastructure including the provision of electrical energy is nonexistent. Except for one-off pilot projects that tend to be special cases of donor interest and resources (and recognized for their obvious public relations value), rural-based infrastructure is seen as passé and uninteresting. UNDP and other agencies that invest in poverty-reduction strategies should look more closely at implementing strategic rural access and connectivity programmes. The Context Most bilateral and multilateral aid agencies have limited their activities on behalf of rural ICT infrastructure to assisting host governments in writing universal service and access policies to be implemented by the private sector winners of telecommunications privatization processes. And yet the common experience worldwide is that once a private franchise or concession has been awarded, the promises made to extend service to rural areas are gradually forgotten as the difficulties of installing and maintaining unprofitable rural infrastructure mount. A significant back-sliding in rural ICT infrastructure is thus occurring as privatization proceeds. The Need Reliable access to information may be just as critical in isolated rural areas as in urban centers. The basic need to communicate with family, friends and associates is fundamental, but so is the acquisition of crucial health, agricultural and market information, not to mention ready access to education and training resources. However, rural needs are more easily satisfied with basic infrastructure supporting email and file transfer rather than more sophisticated web-based technology and applications. Very few policy-makers are aware that a range of relatively inexpensive intermediate or appropriate technology solutions exist to support lower end uses, such as email. Legitimate information needs can be immediately met with simpler technologies while demand and an information culture are built up to justify the same infrastructure being enjoyed by urban areas with greater population density and disposable income. The Evidence The proliferation of UNDP-supported PFNet email stations using packet radio technology in the Solomon Islands as a way to enhance the
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Dear GKD Members, I got back from Kenya after serving there as a VSO [1] volunteer for a year. I was teaching IT in a womens college in a rural place called Tala. I also trained the staff on the more advanced subjects of the curriculum. First, let me talk about the state of connectivity in the country. Connectivity in Kenya is pretty decent in the cities (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru). Literacy in the country is pretty high. Many of the younger people in the 15-35 age group are becoming increasingly netsavvy in the cities. They browse the web in one of the numerous internet browsing centres and have a hotmail or yahoo mail account. Prices are competitive and range in the cities betwen 1 Kenyan Shilling to 5 Kenyan Shillings per minute (1 US$ =~ 70 KSh). ISPs charge somewhere in the range of 8000 KSh / year for unlimited activity. On top of this, dial-up users must pay applicable per-minute telcom charges. Even though there are many ISPs in the country and competition between them is fierce, there are two problems: 1. All traffic has to flow in and out of the country through the Kenya Telecom monopoly owned JamboNet [2]. This creates a single point of failure and a bottleneck. 2. Only the bigger cities have local access / dial-up numbers. If someone is in not in one of these cities, they have to make a long distance / trunk call. The telcome per-minute charges on these vary depending on how far from a POP the user is. WAP is available on one (KenCell) of the two mobile phone providers. But, I have not seen it being used in the circles I moved in. There is a US AID funded effort to connect colleges and universities [3]. Now, let me answer the specific questions 1. What activities are endeavoring to bring connectivity to under-served communities? I am not sure what other organized activities are being carried out in the country. I am aware of two - One that I worked on and another of similar scope [4]. In my case, we got a subsidized 64k VSAT connection through UUNet. In addition to this connection being used by the students of the college, we also created a internet browsing center on campus for people from the community to use at a nominal fee. This enables the college to raise at least part of the cost of the internet connection. We also have a plan to set up a local wireless network to share the bandwidth with the surrounding community. There are many formal and vocational schools in the surrounding community that have expressed interest in this service. 2. What are the goals of these efforts? To what extent are the goals attained? The goal of this effort was to provide access to the relatively marginalized community of Tala. There is no connectivity in a 50-kilometer radius around this community. Part of the goal is income generation for the college as well as people using the wireless network. The lack of wireless networking equipment in Kenya hindered the achievement of the wireless network. At the moment I am working with another volunteer who is going to be going to Kenya in 2004. I intend to procude the equipment in the US and send it through the volunteer. 3. Who is being served by these connectivity efforts? Are the benefits widely distributed? Do some groups win and some lose in these connectivity efforts? I believe that the effort benefits the community widely. The students get connectivity, the community piggy backs on the connection at a nominal fee. It, in fact, spurs business because a privately run cybercafe business can make quite a bit of money by using the wireless network bandwidth to provide internet access at a fee. 4. How do connectivity efforts seek to ensure that all groups benefit? We involved the local town council, schools, parish and businesses early in our efforts. 5. What are the costs and constraints these connectivity efforts face? A VSAT connection is prohibively expensive. Such projects can't work till it reaches a critical mass of people willing to work together and share costs in getting connected. Thaths [1] http://www.vso.org.uk/ [2] http://www.telkom.co.ke/jambonetcontent1.htm [3] http://www.kenet.org/ [4] Chinni Tu -- http://openscroll.org/ Key fingerprint = 8A 84 2E 67 10 9A 64 03 24 38 B6 AB 1B 6E 8C E4 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Dear GKD Colleagues, Jean-Marie Blanchard wrote: Main barriers to Internet penetration are identified as: lack of Telecom infrastructure, limitation of population income, not adequate enough content and applications, lack of local expertise and population awarenessAlcatel is participating in a lot of field experiments, all demonstrating that most of these limiting issues could be fixed, provided a relevant approach is followed. For example, funding of network infrastructure construction is quite solved when project profitability is proven thanks to offering useful end-user services with high local added value; so, it becomes possible to attract potential investors; moreover, Internet illiterates and lowest income people could afford connectivity thanks to community centers. So, universal access to Internet can be no more a dream! My apologies but this is a circular argumentation. Jean-Marie starts off by saying at first that there is insufficient infrastructure, continuing then that there is limited income, not enough content and applications, no local expertise, no awareness. In any other field of market-economy the straight-forward conclusion would be that you try to sell a useless product and that therefore there is no demand and hence there are neither sales nor much product to sell. (Unless there is some strange conviction close to secular religion as if Internet penetration as such constitutes something desirable - despite that it's apparently of no valuable use). Please don't misunderstand me: I was an Internet-pioneer already en 1988, long before the Internet-hype started and I'm still almost fulltime engaged in promoting appropriate use of Internet in a not-so-developed country, Nicaragua. Yet I would insist that -- as in any market -- the starting point should be real needs (i.e. things that can be better solved or addressed using among other Internet-technologies). Better includes more efficiency - economically - but by no means is limited to more efficiency. In Saint-Louis (Senegal), one pediatrician serves more than ten thousand children. Here, the experimental project uses the Internet as a bridge between the patients (a group of one thousand infants) and the doctor. The weight of a child can be considered a key health indicator. It is measured twice a week by weight collectors, local women equipped with scales to weigh babies and a laptop computer to collect data. The measurements are then uploaded to the pediatrician's database via the Internet. Within five minutes, the doctor is able to detect which children have odd weight curves and require further attention. When that happens, he sends an e-mail to the weight collector, who in turn informs the family that the baby needs medical attention. Just counter-productive examples: your Tele-doctor is counter-productive for Public Health Education because instead of providing the local weighers with pen and each parent with a chart where they jointly put the weight-measure and compare it against standard-curves - and by doing this increase Health Awareness not only for the parents - you just electronify the very old fashioned wise man, who - only God knows how - is capable to predict which child is going to fall ill and which not. And as the poor and illiterate paid the wise man a couple of thousand years ago when he predicted seasons and eclipses, they now pay for health-predictions ... where in both cases if they were not kept ignorant they wouldn't pay a cent. Yours, Cornelio 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
My name is Leo Waters, from Nigeria. I recently included myself in the GKD subscription list. I would just like to say 'welcome' to all, and that I am very humbled by the level of information I have just began to read about your involvement in overall IT use-growth in under-served communities of the globe. I appreciate your knowledge and committment. I am looking forward to what I will also contribute to this high-value global development, starting with my own local community in Nigeria. Since a couple of years ago, I have been providing several-hours-a-day of non-profit computer training to lecturers and students of universitites and secondary schools in Benin City. I have been juggling this responsibility with my professional activities (ICT Consultant). Please, how may I be of direct help? Leo Waters Best regards God bless, Leo D. Waters Cell: +234.802.338.1628 Tel/Fax: +234.052.251022 or 251084 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Dear GKD Members, Pertinent to our current discussion is the following article, forwarded from the Togo-L list, which delineates the problems as seen from an African perspective. Don Osborn ** Africa Takes On the Digital Divide Africa Recovery (New York) ANALYSIS October 23, 2003 By Gumisai Mutume New York New information technologies change the lives of those in reach Across Africa, new information technologies are rapidly changing the lives of a small but growing number of people. In rural Togo a farmer gets real-time information on market prices in the capital, Lomé, through a cellular phone. In Accra, Ghana, entrepreneurs who in the past were not able to get a dial tone on their land-line telephones can now connect immediately using Internet telephony, technology that allows phone calls to be made through the Internet. And in Niger, the Bankilare Community Information Centre downloads audio programmes from the African Learning Channel and rebroadcasts them on local radio. So far, these are some of the few, fortunate Africans. For most people even making a telephone call is still a remote possibility in an era when most of the world is now communicating almost instantly across cities, regions and the globe using wireless and satellite technologies to send high-speed electronic messages. Africa has the fewest telephone lines, radios, television sets, computers and Internet users of any part of the world. These tools, used to package and transmit information and knowledge, are broadly referred to as information and communications technologies (ICTs). The gap between those with access to ICTs and those without is generally referred to as the digital divide. It is most extreme in Africa, where in 2001, out of 800 million people, only 1 in 4 had a radio, 1 in 13 a television set, 1 in 40 a telephone and 1 out of 130 a computer. The divide widens in Africa's countryside, where a lack of roads, telephone lines and electricity separates the rural majority from their urban counterparts. Bridging the digital divide The digital gap brings with it a danger of isolating certain peoples, those in Africa in particular, says Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade. It is paradoxical and ironic that the continent which invented writing . . [is] excluded from universal knowledge. In December, President Wade will be popularizing his digital solidarity programme at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva, Switzerland. Under the programme, technologically advanced nations would commit to assisting poorer ones. A country can express solidarity, for example, by signing onto a digital charter committing itself to a specified, quantified action for the benefit of countries where the rate [of Internet access] is lower than a given level, explains President Wade. A digital solidarity fund should be set up to pay for ICT projects in poor countries, he says, financed by raising large amounts of money collected painlessly because the contributions are so small. Levies of one US cent could be charged on every international call or one dollar on the purchase of each personal computer or software package. African leaders looking for ways to bridge the digital divide between their region and the rest of the world see the WSIS as an opportunity to obtain international commitments to extend information and communications technologies to the majority of their people. The summit is expected to adopt a plan of action to close the gap between the haves and have nots of information technology. At its summit in July, the African Union passed a resolution stressing the importance of the information society on economic, socio-political and cultural development and the strategic objectives of developing countries. The second part of WSIS will be held from 16-18 November 2005, in Tunisia, which first proposed holding the meeting to promote the use of ICTs to overcome poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals agreed to by world leaders in 2000. Extending the arm of technology Low bandwidth (the amount of data transmitted through a communications line) and expensive call charges characterize most of Africa's telecommunications facilities. An analysis of Internet use can give a representative picture of the ICT situation in Africa, says Mr. Mike Jensen, an independent ICT consultant based in South Africa, since connecting to the Internet involves different individual ICT components such as computers, telephones and satellites. By mid 2002, 1.7 million Africans had dial-up Internet services, 1.2 million of them in South Africa and North Africa alone. Assuming that three-to-five people use each Internet-connected computer, notes Mr. Jensen, it is possible that 5-8 million Africans have access to the Internet. In sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa), there are some 1.5-2.5 million users - one in every 250-400 people, compared to 1 in 15 people in the rest of
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Universal Access to Internet: Dream or Reality? Connectivity is a key challenge for developing countries. Until recently, the only question was how to provide quality phone services at affordable costs throughout the entire country. In the coming years, we will have to address in addition, the question of how to offer fully relevant Internet services, to support development of local activities. How to remove the main barriers to Internet diffusion? Main barriers to Internet penetration are identified as: lack of Telecom infrastructure, limitation of population income, not adequate enough content and applications, lack of local expertise and population awarenessAlcatel is participating in a lot of field experiments, all demonstrating that most of these limiting issues could be fixed, provided a relevant approach is followed. For example, funding of network infrastructure construction is quite solved when project profitability is proven thanks to offering useful end-user services with high local added value; so, it becomes possible to attract potential investors; moreover, Internet illiterates and lowest income people could afford connectivity thanks to community centers. So, universal access to Internet can be no more a dream! Usage is the key enabler! Real Internet diffusion on a large scale will only happen in developing world, if usage is not a mere duplication of those existing in industrialized countries; if not, Internet will only address a small part of the population corresponding to large business corporations and people with the highest standard of life and education skill. As soon as relevant Internet services and applications are offered to address specific local needs and daily concerns of potential end-users through an innovative way of using Internet, then revenue will be locally generated securing return on investment and making the project fully sustainable: More usage -- more traffic revenue -- more investment capability. So, Internet usage has to be reinvented to comply with specific needs of developing countries! Internet, as a public utility? Internet represents for developing countries an efficient way to contribute to offset their endemic deficiency in basic infrastructures of health, education, agriculture, transport, industry, logistics or services. A development model is so proposed showing how ICTs could initiate and sustain virtuous circles of economic, social and political development, and consequently fight poverty. Pending Pilot Projects * A virtual market place in Dakar, Senegal - Internet payback for information supply As in many areas in developing countries, market places are not transparent enough in Dakar region: high price fluctuation in very short time, artificial shortages and speculation An enriching experience is that of Manobi www.manobi.net in Senegal proposing a professional tool to all actors of the value chain in order to manage food prices in real time. Thanks to its Internet platform, Manobi offers marketing and supply assistance services for small producers, fishermen, wholesalers and carriers; for example, a virtual market place has been set up for the fruit and vegetable sector. Collectors note the prices of various products on the town markets and supply the information to a data base that the sector's professionals consult, from wherever they are, using WAP mobile phones. All the people involved can then refer to this information to negotiate sales in a far more open fashion, which leads to a better distribution of the profit margin between middlemen and producers. This experiment clearly shows the wide set of benefits for local economy and food security management; not only small producers are benefitting: the cost of the service is quickly paid back by the increase of operational margins and there is no more waste of foods. * The cyber-pediatrician in Saint-Louis, Senegal - health care using Internet In Saint-Louis, one pediatrician serves more than ten thousand children. Here, the experimental project uses the Internet as a bridge between the patients (a group of one thousand infants) and the doctor. The weight of a child can be considered a key health indicator. It is measured twice a week by weight collectors, local women equipped with scales to weigh babies and a laptop computer to collect data. The measurements are then uploaded to the pediatrician's database via the Internet. Within five minutes, the doctor is able to detect which children have odd weight curves and require further attention. When that happens, he sends an e-mail to the weight collector, who in turn informs the family that the baby needs medical attention. This pilot project, led by Afrique Initiatives www.afrique-initiatives.com, shows how the Internet can help leverage very scarce healthcare resources to benefit the general population. In this example, families pay a small fee to access the service, and today the waiting list is already very
Re: [GKD-DOTCOM] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Peter Burgess wrote: There can be activities to bring connectivity to the underserved, but it will never be done with the organizational and funding framework that dominates development space today. The technology is available. The people are available. But the business model and value chain being used does not optimize what is available and use it to support development, but organizes to reward investors and corporate management OR government and the repayment of WB/IMF debt. The big corporate world has actually created a connectivity monster ... with $zillions of investment that now is unbelievably surplus to their needs and obsolete as well. To some extent we have a replay of the ATT fiasco of the early 1980s when they suffered from an earlier version of the corporate obsolescence crisis. If anyone wants to invest in solutions that use best technology and can deliver affordable connectivity in the SOUTH, I would like to hear from them. Peter Burgess is right in zeroing in on the connectivity monster created by the big corporate world, the business model and value chain being used. The globalization being promoted in the North marginalizes the South by binding it with huge NON-PERFORMING LOANS that are self-perpetuating and exponentially growing. The overall solution is to convert those NPLs into investments in a technology that achieves macrodynamic equilibrium between North and South. The North has a huge surplus of producer goods and services (e.g. country-wide chains of giant factories for producing hardware and software and giant laboratories for research into innovative techniques). The South has a huge deficit of consumer goods and services in that they are UNDER-SERVED in connectivity (and in everything else needed for survival). The South will not prioritize connectivity if they have prior concerns for survival. The overall solution has already been discussed here on GKD as early as April 16, 1997 and for the succeeding 36 months. In 1999, it has already been published as a book entitled Macroeconomic Dynamics: An Essay in Circulation Analysis by B. Lonergan. My point now is that the best technology that can deliver affordable connectivity in the South can be deduced with precision from this MD-ECA. (A review article entitled Macroeconomic Dynamics and the Work of Nations: Lonergan and Reich on the Global Economy, by Paul Hoyt-O'Connor, appears on pages 111-131 of Method: Journal of Lonergan Studies Vol 17 No. 2 for the Fall of 1999.) This is in reply to the request for a solution from Peter Burgess. Vicente Marasigan 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
Dear GKD Colleagues: I am following up on the series of emails that have gone back and forth on this topic. I am a consultant who spent 19 years with HP prior to taking early retirement last year. My last role was National Business Development Manager for Education and Healthcare and I was engaged to find the next disruptive technology that could change how technology-assisted teaching, learning, and wellness could be sustainably delivered in developed and developing countries. Advanced Interactive, a Vancouver-Canada RD organization, had partnered with Canarie, the Canadian Government Internet RD agency in 2000 to develop a solution for providing high speed access to Internet resources in schools, even when there was only a slow dial-up modem connection from the school to the Internet. The outcome was the commercialization of this distributed and remotely managed technology, which has evolved and brings financially self-sustainable connectivity to under-served communities, including those lacking electrical or communications infrastructure. I have 2 White Papers which will provide a comprehensive view of how they have addressed this challenge. This is currently installed in remote Aboriginal communities in Canada, in Uganda, Ghana, and soon in Senegal. It will also be used as the secure delivery vehicle by several Canadian Universities establishing bi-lateral campuses - one is rolling out with 12 Universities in China and the other 40 Universities in India. The curriculum provided by the Canadian University and a US College is monitored and managed constantly, refreshed nightly, and all student information is available at all times in any school that student touches. For more information or to discuss in more detail, please contact me. I look forward to your response. Regards Bob Robert Miller EVP Global Inc. Direct: (416) 423-9100 Mobile: (416) 464-7525 Fax: (416) 696-9734 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] enabling virtual projects that narrow the digital divide 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
The E-Commerce for Non-Traditional Exports Project being implemented by the Ministry of Food Agriculture, Ghana, and supported by the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) seeks to: provide efficient promotion and increased market transparency to improve the negotiation position for small and medium scaled producers and exporters/traders of non-traditional exports in the local and international markets by the bringing together of the supply of and demand for critical marketing information at the local level. Ultimately, the project aims at enhancing the standard of living of small and medium scaled producers and traders in rural areas in Ghana. In practice, the project aims at providing Internet-based (or alternative) marketing information services to small producers and traders/exporters of Ghanaian non-traditional export products. Apart from providing information, producers and traders can promote their products via the web-based information system. On longer term, the information system will develop into a market place for supply and demand of products. The system will as such provide better access to export markets. In addition it will function as a market place for the national market. In meeting the set out aims above, one of the main activities of the project was to set up what is call District Agricultural Information Centres (DAIC) in the districts. These centres are the information access points for the producers and traders/exporters. Connectivity has been the main challenge for this project, considering the fact that infrastructure in general is limited to the major cities in the country. Computers with mostly dial-up internet connections have been set up in most of these centers. Although the dial-up is slow and expensive, considering the fact that users have to make a trunk call to the capital city, it is the cheapest connectivity so far. Some areas are without telephone facilities at all. In these cases, the project is experimenting with some radio equipment that is able to transfer a telephone link from a range of up to 100km and can carry data at speeds up to 32 kbps. The other altenative being used is to send the information on CD ROMS to these centres. Recently (Sept. 2003), the District Assembly (DA) in one of the districts (Twifo Heman Lower Denkyira District Assembly) in the Central Region has put up a VSAT for internet and voice telephony for mostly the government departments in the district. This is a breakthrough that will be replicated at other districts if it works well. The major problem being considered here is the ability of the DA to pay for the recurrent costs (which are quite high in our part of the world). The main people expected to use this system are the few schools in the area, a couple of Banks and some agro-based industries in the district. These are expected to contribute to the payment of the recurrent costs. It is expected that if this cost issue is worked out well, it will greatly open up the district because information, which is the life-blood for development, will be available to all. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
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 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
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. 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] Bringing Connectivity to Under-Served Communities
We have been asked to answer five questions, which are repeated below with replies on behalf of OOCD 2000+ 1. What activities are endeavoring to bring connectivity to under-served communities? Oke-Ogun Community Development Agenda 2000 Plus (OOCD 2000+) is endeavouring to bring connectivity to the rural area of Oke-Ogun in Oyo State Nigeria 2. What are the goals of these efforts? To what extent are the goals attained? The main goal is to enable self-help initiatives through better access to information and communication systems. The founder of the project, the late Peter Adetunji Oyawale, had a more ambitious vision than we have yet been able to attain without him, but gradual progress is being made. Peter wanted to start by setting up an integrated information system, with a particular emphasis on inclusion for the illiterate poor. Illiteracy is a problem. In Oke-Ogun English is the main written language, but Yoruba is the main spoken language. This means that people who have not had sufficient primary education to become fluent in English are illiterate adults. Peter wanted to include community radio in his information system because, as he would say We must speak, speak to people in the language they understand. Peter also wanted to set up ten Community Digital Information Centres - one in each of the ten Local Government Areas of Oke-Ogun. The centres were all to enjoy full connectivity. He saw this all tying in closely with established community mechanisms for communicating information. Tragically Peter was killed in Ibadan in December 2000 before he had time to do much more than interest people in his ideas. However his work has continued. Regarding radio - OOCD 2000+ has established a close relationship with a proposed Community Radio station based in the state capital of Ibadan, but as the station has been waiting for over a year to be granted a broadcasting license that part of the project is on hold. Work towards establishing Information Centres is having more success. The first OOCD 2000+ InfoCentre opened in Ago-Are in June 2003. Ago-Are is the town where Peter was born, and where he is buried, so it is the natural centre for the project. It is well beyond the reach of the telephone networks which are limited to large urban centres such as Ibadan, several hours journey away. Our next goal is to develop the InfoCentre in Ago-Are into the *coordinating centre* for additional InfoCentres. As there is no connectivity in Ago-Are we use a system which has been described as the Oke-Ogun information relay. Peter was part of the brain drain and settled in London. When he was killed he was in the process of setting up links between his friends and supporters in the UK (on the connected side of the digital divide) and those in Oke-Ogun (on the under-served rural community side of the digital divide). That link now consists of the InfoCentre in Ago-Are; the road from Ago-Are to Ibadan; expensive and unreliable public internet services in Ibadan; emails between Ibadan and the UK; and volunteers in the UK who have inexpensive Internet access and use their home computers on behalf of the OOCD team in Oke-Ogun (finding information, making contacts, and collecting information on CD-Roms to send to OOCD 2000+). This relay enables the OOCD team and the community it serves to be included in some of the benefits of connectivity - albeit in an indirect, delayed and very limited fashion. Now that the InfoCentre is opened and acting as a focus for information issues, the possibility of opening a VSAT email bureau is being actively investigated. Meanwhile the relay system continues. 3. Who is being served by these connectivity efforts? Are the benefits widely distributed? Do some groups win and some lose in these connectivity efforts? It is early days to make any judgement. The InfoCentre itself only opened in June. The information relay developed gradually while the OOCD team were working together to establish the InfoCentre, and has only recently begun to serve wider needs. 4. How do connectivity efforts seek to ensure that all groups benefit? Regarding inclusion - the key people locally involved in setting up the project (VSO volunteer from Kenya, David Mutua; local farmer, Timothy Oyawale; and Local Government development worker, Amos Adedokun) have always emphasised comprehensive community involvement. When the centre opened representatives of many different groups were at the commissioning ceremony which was performed by the local hereditary ruler, the Aare of Ago-Are. In August an informal information needs analysis was undertaken in the town. Meetings have been held with various special interest groups. The groups (in alphabetical order) are the Aare of Ago-Are and his chiefs, the Ago-Are community committee, Distance Education teachers, farmers, health workers, school teachers, women, and youths. Between them these group cover a wide range of people, socially, economically and
