Due to its relative affordability and lack of complicated infrastructure, wireless internet technology poses new and exciting opportunities for bridging the Digital Divide. On June 16, 2004 The E-Development Services Thematic Group at the World Bank, in conjunction with ISN QuickStart Learning Program, Development Gateway, and Fundacion Chasquinet, hosted a video-seminar on the topic as part of the e-Development Dialogues Series. Video conferencing linked contributors in five locations: Lima, Brasilia, Boston, Managua, and Washington to discuss some current projects and future potential of wireless technology as a development tool. Opening remarks were provided by James Hanna, Lead Operations Officer, LAC. In his address, Hanna noted that the emphasis of the conference was on understanding the uses of wireless technology and its implications for development, not understanding the technology itself.
Next, Axel Leblois, President of World Times and co-founder of the Wireless Internet Institute (W2I), provided a general overview of wireless technology. Introducing audience members to the terms Wi-Fi and Wi-Max, Leblois went on to explain their implications for development. Particularly, he notes the ease with which rural communities can obtain digital inclusion using wireless networks. Earlier forms of internet technology, he says, posed too many obstacles to be considered real solutions for rural areas in the developing world. Drawing on examples from W2I projects in a number of developing countries with different needs and circumstances, Leblois emphasizes that wireless projects must be personalized to a specific region or population—pinpointing local needs and capabilities—in order to be successful.
Kalai Chelvan, CEO of EION, Inc., addressed the audience next. Chelvan’s company, EION, is dedicated to “Reaching the Unreachable” (the company’s slogan) and attempts to do so by providing rural connectivity solutions through wireless internet. Chelvan expanded on the benefits of a rural information infrastructure, which, he emphasized, is as necessary today as a physical infrastructure. He points to prospects such as tele-education to improve farming techniques, health care advancements through real-time connections to advanced hospitals, the ability of farmers to receive market price for their goods, and the opportunity for villages to receive advanced warning of natural disasters—all services capable of saving lives and augmenting the quality of life in rural sectors of the developing world. Perhaps the most exciting component of Wi-Fi technology as a tool for development, as Chelvan noted, is that it is cost effective. Unlike wired telecommunication options that require elaborate physical infrastructure planning, in the world of Wi-Fi, he explains, “$10,000 can go a long way.” Chelvan went on to explain some of the logistics of linking rural communities through Wi-Fi, emphasizing its simplicity and feasibility as a connectivity solution. In conjunction with his presentation, joining in from Peru, Edwin San Román, President of OSIPTEL, discussed Wi-Fi experiments in his country.
Professor Alex Pentland of the MIT Media Lab joined the discussion from Boston. Petland shared with the group some recent initiatives of the Media Lab and its program Digital Nations, a leader in the digital inclusion effort. The Sustainable Access in Rural India (SARI) project provided a good example of some obstacles and challenges of connectivity. Expanding on some lessons learned from the project, he explained that most communication exchanges happened from village-to-village, not village-to-town as is often assumed. Another exciting project shared by Petland was First Miles, a project that attempted to circumvent the expense of satellite installation by mounting transmitters on busses that make daily visits to rural villages, bringing e-commerce and e-governance to rural areas, as well as increasing the efficiency of local economies.
The final speaker, Klaus Stoll, representing Fundacion Chasquinet of Ecuador, shared a slideshow with photos taken in Ecuador to emphasize the potential quality of life improvements wireless internet technology can provide. He ended his talk with a challenge to the Bank and other development organizations to collaborate with local governments and the private sector to make wireless technology a reality in the developing world, emphasizing that its potential is too great not to act.
Moderator, Juan Navas-Sabater, then briefed the participants on some Bank projects related to connectivity solutions and then opened the discussion period to audience members at all five locations.
|
Home
> Learning
& Knowledge > BSPAN
> Presentation
High Speed
Low Speed
Audio 
