(Source: Challenges and Partnerships, A contribution by the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force).
Broadcasting:
Digital broadcasting is a good example of both an empowering technology and of the political barriers that can sometimes stall the elimination of the digital divide. Satellite broadcasting allows geographically remote areas to receive news and information in a manner that was previously unavailable or difficult to achieve.
Villagers in rural Asia who had to rely on low-quality terrestrial broadcasts provided on often unreliable equipment now have access to high-quality images and sound to a range that was previously unimaginable. This provides educational, entertainment and informative benefits for the populations or otherwise remote places.
Simple wireless base stations can makes access to previously inaccessible terrain relatively simple and inexpensive. Mountains, jungle, rivers and densely populated cities are all traversed better with wireless technology then with expensive cable.
However, in some states - such as some in the Middle East and North Africa - digital television is regarded as a major problem. Access to Western values and norms is not universally regarded as a good thing, and is even seen as corrupting in some particularly religious areas.
At one extreme, some countries have banned the reception of Western channels, and at the other, virtually all digital technologies have been banned. In the Muslim world, television stations - such as Al Jazeera - have grown up to provide an authentic local voice on world affairs. Community radio stations in Africa have been used to provide health warnings, agricultural information, weather disaster warnings andto disseminate vital information about HIV.
Mobile phones:
The quality of life in rural Pakistan and Bangladesh has been improved by the use of cellular phones, which allow people to stay in touch in remote locations. Indeed the introduction of mobile phones has been so successful in Pakistan that in April 2004, oneworld.net reported:
"Mobile phone-users in Pakistan will double next year (to more than 7m), outnumbering fixed-line customers for the first time and marking a new era of communications in the poverty-stricken nation."
Discussion - The success of wireless technology:Why is wireless technology successful as a solution to the digital divide?
Wireless technology is successful as a solution to the digital divide because it allows up-to-date information to reach areas that would previously have been unable to receive such information; e.g. settlements in mountainous areas such as villages in the Himalayas.
Which of the problems that cause the digital divide does it overcome?
It solves the problem of far flung-places not being able to have the same information and education as places which have more modern technology, which puts them at a disadvantage.
Does the growth in available wireless technology have clear social, economic, educational and cultural benefits for the society involved?
Wireless technology's main social benefit for society is that, with wireless technology, people all over the world who may not neccessarily have been able to before - e.g. people in places where it was previously difficult to get internet connection, such as islands or in mountainous regions - can keep in contact with the rest of the world.
Wireless technology's main economic benefit for society is that, if more people can access the internet, more people can perform tasks, payfor items online and run websites, etc; this earns money which, therefore, improves the economy.
Wireless technology's main educational benefit for society is that people who may not have previously had the use of the internet can now use it, accessing new information and education.
Wireless technology's main cultural benefit for society is that, if more people who may not have been able to before can use the internet, they can educate themselves on different cultures and beliefs worldwide - this is another educational benefit too.
Governance:
Simple high-technology, or low-technology solutions are not the only answer to what is a large problem. A major challenge often comes in the form of governments of the under-served nations. For example, the state is often the main or only telecommunications provider, charges "monopoly prices" for its services, and prevents other organisations providing competitive services.
There are sometimes high tariffs on importing high technology or other trade barriers, and sometimes a massive amount of red tape or regulation that has to be overcome. In all these cases, a government strategy is needed to deal with the problem. This is often in association with the United Nations.
Successful strategies of this kind have been adopted in Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, among other states. In the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai Internet City has been set up to act as a free-trade zone to encourage ICT investment throughout the Middle East, Asie and Africa, using Dubai as a hub.
Case study Laos:
The yearly income in Laos is equivalent to approximately $1,900 per capita (2004 estimate). There are no credit-card facilities offered by Laotian banks. Literacy is low at 47%. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that access to a largely English-language web will be a high priority for the majority of the population. Indeed, text-based messaging is the most popular ICT application currently. Laos language support - Lao has its own alphabet - is available for Windows and Mac users, but there are few manuals or help applications written in the language.
There are thought to be less than 15,000 computers in Laos. The costs of PCs and the internet are too high for the average Laotian. A working, if somewhat obsolete PC, would cost about $200, so computer use is restricted mainly to the wealthy. Just over 1% of the population has a fixed telephone line, perhaps amounting to approximately 4% of households. The cost of installing a phone line is approximately $40; the monthly line cost plus 100 minutes of calls are around a further $30 per month. Electricity is only available in a few urban areas.
All of these factors, as in so many under-served nations, are a massive obstacle to bridging the digital divide. Only just over 1/3 of the population are in areas reached by the telephone network. There were about as many mobile phones as fixed lines in Laos in 2002. There has been massive growth in mobiles in recent times, but the mobile signal only reaches urban areas, and so covers approximately 10% of the population. The main means of access to the Information Age is through internet cafes that were originally set up for foreign tourists, but where locals now constitute the main driver of the demand.
The main obstacles to progress in reducing the digital divide in Laos have been identified as:
Initiative 1 - Cantennae:
Although commercial solutions are subject to theft, vandalism and weather-related failure, low-tech solutions based on DIY "cantennae" have been very successful as phone base stations, wireless local area networks, etc. Factory manufactured versions of these are available in the UK to boost wireless reception.
Initiative 2 - Pedal powered wireless computer in Phon Kham:
Phon Kjam is a poor village in Laos, one of the poorest countries on Earth. All 200 villagers live in bamboo houses and walk dirt roads that are only passable before the monsoon. There is no electricity and no telephone system, and yet they have computers with internet access thanks to some ingenious thinking and pedal power.
A generator, powered by pedalling a bike, charges a battery that runs a small 486-type computer designed to run on only 12 watts.
"It has no moving parts, the lid seals up tight, and you can dunk it in water and it will still run," Lee Felsenstein, the inventor, said. "The idea is to be rugged, last at least 10 years and run in both the monsoon season and the dry season."
Wireless PC cards connect each PC to a hilltop relay station connected to a computer in town, which in turn is connected to the Laos phone system and the internet. The total cost of the network is approximately $19,000 and it will cost about $21 per month to run.
The main impacts of the system on the locals are not to do with chat or playing games, but are founded on a solid economic basis. Villagers wanted the system to find information to help them, and in particular the price that commodities were being sold at in Phon Hong, the local market town and in Vientiane, the capital. With this information they can make informed decisions about where and whether to travel, for commercial or any other purposes - a serious decision when talking of distances greater than 30km through dry and barren terrain in the dry season, and near impassable in the wet season.
Initiative 3 - The Jhai Foundation PC and communication and internet learning centres:
The Jhai Foundation - an American-Lao non-profit organisation whose aim is to help empower the next generation of Laos - has funded multiple community IT projects, including internet learning centres in schools. These have rapidly become self-sustaining buns for community learning. Although based in schools, they teach adults as well as children. The main reason for their success is that members of the community feel they own the centres.
Task - summarise the Laos case study:
Activity 5 - Email in the Solomons
What is the extent of the digital divide?
The impact of the digital divide on the Solomon Islands is that, because the islands are far apart and there has been a lot of conflict, their economy will not be able to develop as it should. Furthermore, education and communication is limited.
What solutions have been provided so far?
Wireless technology's main cultural benefit for society is that, if more people who may not have been able to before can use the internet, they can educate themselves on different cultures and beliefs worldwide - this is another educational benefit too.
Governance:
Simple high-technology, or low-technology solutions are not the only answer to what is a large problem. A major challenge often comes in the form of governments of the under-served nations. For example, the state is often the main or only telecommunications provider, charges "monopoly prices" for its services, and prevents other organisations providing competitive services.
There are sometimes high tariffs on importing high technology or other trade barriers, and sometimes a massive amount of red tape or regulation that has to be overcome. In all these cases, a government strategy is needed to deal with the problem. This is often in association with the United Nations.
Successful strategies of this kind have been adopted in Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, among other states. In the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai Internet City has been set up to act as a free-trade zone to encourage ICT investment throughout the Middle East, Asie and Africa, using Dubai as a hub.
Case study Laos:
The yearly income in Laos is equivalent to approximately $1,900 per capita (2004 estimate). There are no credit-card facilities offered by Laotian banks. Literacy is low at 47%. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that access to a largely English-language web will be a high priority for the majority of the population. Indeed, text-based messaging is the most popular ICT application currently. Laos language support - Lao has its own alphabet - is available for Windows and Mac users, but there are few manuals or help applications written in the language.
There are thought to be less than 15,000 computers in Laos. The costs of PCs and the internet are too high for the average Laotian. A working, if somewhat obsolete PC, would cost about $200, so computer use is restricted mainly to the wealthy. Just over 1% of the population has a fixed telephone line, perhaps amounting to approximately 4% of households. The cost of installing a phone line is approximately $40; the monthly line cost plus 100 minutes of calls are around a further $30 per month. Electricity is only available in a few urban areas.
All of these factors, as in so many under-served nations, are a massive obstacle to bridging the digital divide. Only just over 1/3 of the population are in areas reached by the telephone network. There were about as many mobile phones as fixed lines in Laos in 2002. There has been massive growth in mobiles in recent times, but the mobile signal only reaches urban areas, and so covers approximately 10% of the population. The main means of access to the Information Age is through internet cafes that were originally set up for foreign tourists, but where locals now constitute the main driver of the demand.
The main obstacles to progress in reducing the digital divide in Laos have been identified as:
- the mountainous geography
- the weather with its monsoon rains
- a frustrating lack of coordination among government agencies
- the lack of IT standards to allow integration between systems
- a lack of IT knowledge at policy and skills levels
- a poor power and the telecommunications infrastructure
- a poor ISP service
- the high relative costs of ICT
- the lack of Laotian language support, especially for training materials
Initiative 1 - Cantennae:
Although commercial solutions are subject to theft, vandalism and weather-related failure, low-tech solutions based on DIY "cantennae" have been very successful as phone base stations, wireless local area networks, etc. Factory manufactured versions of these are available in the UK to boost wireless reception.
Initiative 2 - Pedal powered wireless computer in Phon Kham:
Phon Kjam is a poor village in Laos, one of the poorest countries on Earth. All 200 villagers live in bamboo houses and walk dirt roads that are only passable before the monsoon. There is no electricity and no telephone system, and yet they have computers with internet access thanks to some ingenious thinking and pedal power.
A generator, powered by pedalling a bike, charges a battery that runs a small 486-type computer designed to run on only 12 watts.
"It has no moving parts, the lid seals up tight, and you can dunk it in water and it will still run," Lee Felsenstein, the inventor, said. "The idea is to be rugged, last at least 10 years and run in both the monsoon season and the dry season."
Wireless PC cards connect each PC to a hilltop relay station connected to a computer in town, which in turn is connected to the Laos phone system and the internet. The total cost of the network is approximately $19,000 and it will cost about $21 per month to run.
The main impacts of the system on the locals are not to do with chat or playing games, but are founded on a solid economic basis. Villagers wanted the system to find information to help them, and in particular the price that commodities were being sold at in Phon Hong, the local market town and in Vientiane, the capital. With this information they can make informed decisions about where and whether to travel, for commercial or any other purposes - a serious decision when talking of distances greater than 30km through dry and barren terrain in the dry season, and near impassable in the wet season.
Initiative 3 - The Jhai Foundation PC and communication and internet learning centres:
The Jhai Foundation - an American-Lao non-profit organisation whose aim is to help empower the next generation of Laos - has funded multiple community IT projects, including internet learning centres in schools. These have rapidly become self-sustaining buns for community learning. Although based in schools, they teach adults as well as children. The main reason for their success is that members of the community feel they own the centres.
Task - summarise the Laos case study:
Activity 5 - Email in the Solomons
What is the extent of the digital divide?
- Satellite phones are too expensive for most to use regularly.
- Communicate using only satellite phones and short-wave radio.
- In most areas there is no electricity.
- The connection speed is around 2Kbps, meaning that a typical text email sent by rural villagers will take approximately 10 seconds to transmit.
- "The struggling South Pacific nation has endured years of bloodshed, corruption and economic decline."
- There was a "legacy of fear and mistrust created by years of fighting between rival ethnic gangs from Malaita and Guadalcanal".
The impact of the digital divide on the Solomon Islands is that, because the islands are far apart and there has been a lot of conflict, their economy will not be able to develop as it should. Furthermore, education and communication is limited.
What solutions have been provided so far?
- The PeopleFirst Network - set up with funding from the United Nations Development Programme - worked to find a way to connect the remote island to the outside world, as well as each other.
- 14 email stations in schools or clinics in rural areas have been set up.
- The email stations use "old technology" that is still "robust" - the laptops are "quite old" but are "affordable in villages".
- The PeopleFirst Network is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on using their Tek project - "researchers at the Boston institute are developing a search engine designed for people with a slow net connection".
A further initiative which would help the people in the Solomon Islands is:
A wind-up laptop could be a further initiative which would help the people in the Solomon Islands.
The wind-up laptops in question are "cheap and robust", each costing $100. The laptops are powered with "a wind-up crank, have very low power consumption and will let children interact with each other while learning".
The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said: "Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction - they will be able to open up new fronts for their education, particularly peer-to-peer learning."
He added that the initiative was "inspiring" and held the promise of "special and economic development for children in developing countries".
A wind-up laptop could be a further initiative which would help the people in the Solomon Islands.
The wind-up laptops in question are "cheap and robust", each costing $100. The laptops are powered with "a wind-up crank, have very low power consumption and will let children interact with each other while learning".
The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said: "Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction - they will be able to open up new fronts for their education, particularly peer-to-peer learning."
He added that the initiative was "inspiring" and held the promise of "special and economic development for children in developing countries".
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