[Isf-list Firenze] Fwd:Eldis ICT for Development Reporter
taddeo4 a inwind.it
taddeo4 a inwind.it
Ven 4 Nov 2005 17:23:34 CET
Mi sembra che ci siano diversi interessanti argomenti per gli esperti dell'Information Communication Technology for Development.
Carlo
ELDIS ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT REPORTER
4 November 2005
http://www.eldis.org/ict
----------------------------------------------------
This is our regular bulletin that highlights recent research
publications and announcments on ICT for Development issues.
The documents are available without charge on the web. If you
are unable to access any of these materials online and would
like to receive a copy of a document as an email attachment,
please contact our editor at the email address given below.
A CDROM with collections of documents from Eldis is also
available to users with poor internet access. See details in the
footer of this reporter.
In this issue:
----------------------------------------------------
1. Eldis at WSIS
2. Managing ICTs in South African schools: a
guide for school principals
3. Technologies for Education for All:
possibilities and prospects in the Arab Region
4. FOSS and development
5. Some common commercial software and their
equivalent FOSS options
6. Workshop: Africa Source II - Free and Open
Source Software for Local Communities,
Kalangala, Uganda - Jan 08-Jan 15, 2006
7. Free/Open Source software localization
primer
8. Monitoring and evaluating information and
communication for development (ICD) programmes
9. Do governments actually believe that ICT
can help alleviate poverty?: a perspective
from Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)
10. ICT for mitigating HIV/AIDS in Southern
Africa
11. Coffee, tea or …? : gender and politeness
in computer mediated communication (CMC)
12. Financing ICT for development: the EU
approach
13. The digital dump: exporting re-use and
abuse to Africa
14. The economic advantage of wireless
infrastructure for development
15. On the evolution of the spatial economy
with multi-unit/multi-plant firms: the impact
of IT development
16. The causal relationship between ICT and FDI
17. Trade in telecommunication services:
opportunities and constraints
18. Stimulating investment in network
development: roles for regulators
19. Measuring digital opportunity
20. Towards an e-index for South Africa:
measuring household and individual access and
usage of ICT
21. E-access and usage index: Ethiopia report
22. Why should countries embed ICTs into SME
policy?
23. Meeting: National Consultation on
Designing an Enabling Framework for Community
Radio in Bangladesh, 6 - 7 December, 2005,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
24. Discussion forum: UNESCO International
Institute for Educational Planning, Internet
discussion forum on Open Course Content for
higher education 24 October – 2 December 2005
----------------------------------------------------
1. ELDIS AT WSIS
The ELDIS Senior Editor, Alan Stanley, will be attending the
World Summit on the Information Society and parallel ICT4All
Exhibition in Tunis from 15th to 20th November, 2005.
If you are also attending and would like to take this
opportunity to meet up, share ideas, etc, please email him
at a.stanley a ids.ac.uk
----------------------------------------------------
2. MANAGING ICTS IN SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS: A GUIDE FOR
SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
Authors: Bialobrzeska, M.;
Cohen, S.;SAIDE(2005)
The purpose of this guide is to give principals and senior
school management information on using and managing ICT
resources so that they can provide leadership in their
schools. The guide also considers some implications of the
use of the computer and related resources for
teaching and learning. The authors hope that it will also be
a valuable resource for other senior members of the school
staff, and for School Governing Bodies.
Each chapter is structured around a key question:
* Why should we have computers in schools?
* How can
schools benefit from computers?
* How can computers be used
in teaching and learning?
* Can all schools use computers
in all the possible ways?
* How can a school build
a shared vision for ICT use?
* How do we go about
implementing the vision?
* What are some of the
practicalities that need to be considered?
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19918
----------------------------------------------------
3. TECHNOLOGIES FOR EDUCATION FOR ALL: POSSIBILITIES AND
PROSPECTS IN THE ARAB REGION
Authors: Haddad, W.D. (ed);
AED
Produced by: Academy for Educational Development (AED),
USA(2005)
This collection of essays looks at the state of the art of
ICT for education and presents five case studies
representing the interaction between education and
technology from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and
Palestine. It shows how Arab countries have home grown
solutions to
their unique educational challenges, and innovative
approaches to using technology as a tool to empower and
enhance education.
Essays include:
* Technologies for Education for All:
Luxury or Necessity? by Wadi D. Haddad
* Technologies for
Education: Some International Experiences by Kurt D.
Moses
* Electronic & Information Technologies for Science
Teacher: preparation: The Experience of a Teacher
Educator by Saouma BouJaoude
* Technology Tools for
Mathematics Teaching and Learning by Iman Osta
* Egypt -
Distance Training of Teachers Via Video Conferencing
Technology by Mohammad Zamzam
* Jordan - Knowledge
Stations Initiative: A Nationwide Network by
Yousef Nusseir
* Lebanon - Technology and Education:
Pre-University Education Administration by Nabil
Constantine
* Morocco - Information and Communication
Technologies in Education by Hamid Behaj
* Palestine - ICTs
Do Not Like Geography: An E-Learning Experience by Yahya Al-
Salqan
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20072
----------------------------------------------------
4. FOSS AND DEVELOPMENT
There's been an interesting (and heated!) discussion
recently on the GKD list at http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/2005/Oct/">
about the benefits of Free and Open Source Software for
development. This was in reaction to Richard Heek's recent
briefing paper on "Free and Open Source Software: A
Blind Alley for Developing Countries?"
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/dig/briefings.htm
----------------------------------------------------
5. SOME COMMON COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE AND THEIR EQUIVALENT FOSS
OPTIONS
Authors: Free and Open Source Software Foundation of
Pakistan
Produced by: Free and Open Source Software Foundation of
Pakistan (FOSSFP )(2005)
Listing of Free and Open Source Software alternatives to
commonly-used commercial software packages
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20069
----------------------------------------------------
6. WORKSHOP: AFRICA SOURCE II - FREE AND OPEN SOURCE
SOFTWARE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, KALANGALA, UGANDA - JAN
08-JAN 15, 2006
Authors: Tactical Technology Collective
Produced by: Announcements Listing, Eldis(2005)
Africa Source II will be an eight day hands-on workshop
aimed at building the technical skills of those working with
NGOs on the continent. It will bring together more than 100
NGOs and NGO technology support professionals working at the
local level across the region, together
with a handful of field leaders from Africa, Europe, North
America and Asia. Africa Source II will be a free and open
source software (FOSS) event. It's primary goal will be to
increase the practical use of FOSS desktop applications and
tools amongst the non profit sector in
Africa.
There will be a range of sessions for participants to take
part in and will include:
* how to help NGO's plan
for, migrate to and adopt FOSS aplications
* how to use
FOSS applications to handle information, publish content
using citizen's media tools and engage
constituency
* how FOSS can increase accessibilty through
localization, translation into local language and
dialects.
Applications will be announced and invited
between September and November 2005. Participants will be
selected by the Advisory Group based on their
interest and experiences. There will be a small registration
fee for the event. A limited number of travel and
registration fee scholarships will be available and may be
applied for on application. If you would like to receive an
application form or have any questions please write
to africasource2 a tacticaltech.org . You can also visit their
website for more information.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19807
----------------------------------------------------
7. FREE/OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION PRIMER
Authors: Anousak Souphavanh;
Theppitak Karoonboonyanan
Produced by: Asia-Pacifiic Development Information Program
(APDIP)(2005)
This primer provides a broad perspective on the localization
of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) for the benefit of
policy- and decision-makers in developing countries. It
highlights the benefits and strategies of FOSS localization,
along with case studies from various countries
that are on the road to software freedom.
The primer includes
* an introduction to localisation
and the benefits of choosing FOSS over proprietary
software
* a survey of initiatives and efforts in the
localisation of FOSS within the Asia-Pacific region,
including best practices and lessons learned
* case
studies
of localisation efforts in Cambodia, Lao PDR and
Thailand
* recommendations on technical issues, resource
allocation, skills and tools, implementation, costs and
language considerations.
To help localisers get
started, two annexes regarding key concepts and the
technical
aspects of localisation are provided. These are intended for
project managers and implementers who are planning software
localisation projects. [author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19532
----------------------------------------------------
8. MONITORING AND EVALUATING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
FOR DEVELOPMENT (ICD) PROGRAMMES
Authors: DFID
Produced by: Department for International Development
(DFID), UK(2005)
These gudelines were written for DFID staff in need of
advice on the monitoring and evaluating Information and
Communication for Development (ICD) programmes. The
guidelines introduce a range of approaches useful at various
stages of a development programme.
The guidelines are aimed at programmes
involving:
* face-to-face communication or information
activities such as counselling or extension
visits
* community-level communications such as theatre,
role-playing, workshops, posters and other print
materials
* TV, radio, film
and video
* Internet and email communications
programmes
* telecommunications-based projects.
The guidelines are structured around the project cycle, with
sections on:
* things to think about before you
start
* planning and budgeting
* monitoring and evaluation
at
the start of your programme
* methods for ongoing
monitoring and evaluation
* measuring impacts and outcomes
at the end of your programme
* the tools of good practice
* sources of further information.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19539
----------------------------------------------------
9. DO GOVERNMENTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT ICT CAN HELP
ALLEVIATE POVERTY?: A PERSPECTIVE FROM POVERTY REDUCTION
STRATEGY PAPERS (PRSPS)
Authors: APDIP
Produced by: Asia-Pacifiic Development Information Program
(APDIP)(2005)
This note examines the treatment of ICT in PRSPs of
Asia-Pacific countries. Although only eight countries in
the region have completed PRSPs (Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Viet Nam),
the results in relation to the use on ICT were revealing
and insightful.
There is a clear demonstration by governments that ICT can
effectively help alleviate poverty, although the manner in
which it is used varies. All eight countries have plans to
develop ICT as a sector and use ICT as tools to achieve
other PRSP goals in education, health,
employment, monitoring poverty, disseminating information,
facilitating government services, and disaster management.
Across the board, countries are planning to develop
management information systems to improve public sector
governance and service delivery. Many governments also
used ICT to disseminate information on health, government
programs, employment opportunities, and disaster relief
efforts. Efforts that incorporate ICT on the ground
generally fall into the categories of education and
increasing market access. Mongolia has the most
comprehensive
program to integrate ICT into the education system. Overall,
Mongolia, Cambodia, and Lao PDR have outlined the most
concrete actions of using ICT in their poverty alleviation
strategies.
While examining PRSPs was a useful starting point, it is
important to keep in mind that PRSPs by themselves do not
translate policy into concrete action. Countries need a
combination of national strategy, political will, financial
resources, and technical capacity to properly use
ICT as tools for poverty alleviation. PRSPs are a good
indicator of the direction the government hopes to progress.
The next step would be to look at substantive indicators to
evaluate actual progress. [author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19542
----------------------------------------------------
10. ICT FOR MITIGATING HIV/AIDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Authors: SPIDER;
Sida;
TU Delft;
Safaids
Produced by: Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions
(SPIDER)(2005)
This report looks at opportunities for Sida to support the
use of ICT for mitigating HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. It
asks:
* how can ICT contribute to the empowerment of people living
with HIV/AIDS
* how can ICT improve ongoing and planned HIV/AIDS
programs in the region
Stakeholder meetings have been held in Lusaka (Zambia),
Gaborone (Botswana) and Maputo (Mozambique). These recommended
that ICT can be instrumental
for documenting and sharing experience
and knowledge on HIV/AIDS, for improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of the organisations involved, for
coordinating, monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDS
prevention, care and treatment programs and for monitoring
(the development) of the epidemic.
Suggested interventions include:
* providing CAP
clients (radio stations, schools, health clinics) in Zambia
and Mozambique with ICT resources
* developing and
implement a system for distance consult in Botswana (and
when successful, in a latter stage in Mozambique and
Zambia)
* improving the logistic support for the
distribution of drugs in Botswana
* supporting research on
‘expert’ systems (a system, which supports health workers to
diagnosis and treat clients) for health clinics (all three
countries)
* facilitating the process of
awareness and vision building on how ICT can be used (all
three countries).
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC17937
----------------------------------------------------
11. COFFEE, TEA OR …? : GENDER AND POLITENESS IN COMPUTER
MEDIATED COMMUNICATION (CMC)
Authors: Asha, K.;
Vaibhavi, K.
(2005)
Research shows that electronic communication has affected
written language significantly. The increasing importance of
use of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in
organizations has multiple implications for use of written
language at workplace. This study focuses on the
influence of gender and politeness on writing style in CMC,
specifically work related emails, in the Indian context.
Grice’s Cooperative Principle (CP) and Leech’s maxims of
Politeness have been used to analyze samples of 494 work
related emails written by both men and women. On the basis
of this analysis, an attempt has been made to study the
relationship between gender, politeness and email
content. On the basis of the data, it is concluded that:
* different politeness maxims across genders are used
in work related emails.
* politeness maxims are used in
clusters
* variations in use of politeness maxims across
genders are highest in directives
* violations
of politeness maxims are higher in men than in
women
[author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20103
----------------------------------------------------
12. FINANCING ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT: THE EU APPROACH
Authors: European Union
Produced by: Department for International Development
(DFID), UK(2005)
This paper offers a brief overview of European Union
financial support to ICT for development programmes, and
relates this to the MDG process.
It notes that:
* most EU members support this approach,
and ICT forms a significant part of many EU funded projects.
ICT needs infrastructure, and the EU supports this as part
of the new Infrastructure Partnership with Africa due to
start in autumn 2005. But hardware alone
does not make an effective information system, and many
other factors also receive increasing support – such as
training, policy and planning, development of applications
and content, and improvement of environmental conditions
such as energy and education.
* ICT infrastructure
has largely been funded by the private sector, since the
1990s. The private sector has proved itself more efficient
than governments in telecommunications service provision:
private providers are more flexible and able to keep up with
technological change, and competition keeps
costs and prices lower. One role of governments, with donor
support, is therefore to attract private investment. This
sometimes requires financial support such as low-interest
loans or risk guarantees; and always requires creation of
the right conditions of regulation,
competition, and start-up costs.
* it is not enough for
governments and aid donors simply to say "leave it to the
private sector". Areas in which government action is still
needed, often with donor support, include:
* creating
an enabling legal and regulatory environment to
attract investors
* ensuring that the communication needs
of the poorest and most marginalised people are met, often
through innovative public-private
partnerships
* introducing ICT into government functions
and services.
* donors also play a role in
encouraging private
operators to enter risky or less profitable areas, by
supplying financial assistance and risk mitigation; and in
international collaborations, for instance to build
"backbone" infrastructure linking countries and regions
across Africa.
[author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19661
----------------------------------------------------
13. THE DIGITAL DUMP: EXPORTING RE-USE AND ABUSE TO AFRICA
Authors: Basel Action Network
Produced by: Basel Action Network - BAN(2005)
This report reveals that large quantities of obsolete
computers, televisions, mobile phones, and other used
electronic equipment exported from USA and Europe to Lagos,
Nigeria for “re-use and repair” are ending up gathering dust
in warehouses or being dumped and burned near
residences in empty lots, roadsides and in swamps creating
serious health and environmental contamination from the
toxic leachate and smoke.
Due to the lack of financial resources available to most
people in developing countries, much of the growth in the IT
sector in developing countries has been fueled by the
importation of hand-me-down, used equipment from rich,
developed countries, whose consumers are all too happy
to find buyers for it. Yet, the massive importation of used
equipment is a success story seriously clouded by the smoke
of a growing environmental and health disaster:
* often
the trade is not driven by altruism, but rather by the
immense profits that can be made through it
and those involved are oblivious to, or unconcerned with,
its adverse consequences
* justifications of building
bridges over the digital divide are used as excuses to
obscure and ignore the fact that these bridges double as
toxic waste pipelines to some of the poorest communities
and countries in the world
* in this scenario rich
developed countries lose an opportunity to enable their own
national recycling infrastructure, cleaner technologies, and
the development of innovative designs to prevent further
toxics use
* at the same time the developing
countries are increasingly victimised by a disproportionate
burden of the world’s toxic cyber waste
* as much as 75% of
the imported used computer equipment is “junk” and not
economically repairable or resalable
* an estimated 500
containers of used computers scrap of various
condition and age, enter the country each month
* indeed, a
substantial amount of this burgeoning trade to Africa and
probably throughout the developed world is in fact illegal
under the Basel Convention
* but far too many governments
are looking the other way and are failing in
dramatic fashion to properly enforce and implement the
Convention for post-consumer electronic waste.
The report urges consumers of electronics, especially major
consumers such as banks, transnationals, government
agencies, universities, school systems, etc.to conduct due
diligence for their entire waste chain. All businesses and
citizens must ensure that none of their e-waste discards are
directed to the thousands of e-waste
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20001
----------------------------------------------------
14. THE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE OF WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR
DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Raghunathan, A.
Produced by: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB /
IADB)(2005)
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) asserted
the importance of the use of information and communication
technologies for the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals. Wireless Internet technologies deserve
particular attention not only because of their
importance to the development process, but also because of
their ability to reduce the costs of providing information
and communication technologies access and services to
underserved areas.
This paper explores wireless Internet infrastructure and
associated costs in health, education, government and
commercial applications. It analyzes the cost-effectiveness
of wireless provision of access and services in underserved
(especially rural) areas and provides examples of
successful applications in Latin America and the Caribbean
and in other countries.
After presenting current private sector activity as well as
government and international development organizations’
efforts to promote wireless technologies in development
projects, the paper focuses on the policy barriers
preventing the private sector from developing these
technologies. A major finding of the paper is that there is
an enormous opportunity for wireless technologies to provide
access and services to remote populations. Therefore,
policies that need to be adopted in order to increase the
possibility of taking advantage of the existing
economies of scale of wireless devices should ensure
:
* a competitive regulatory environment
* alliance
between private sector and government bodies
* alliance
between incumbent telecom providers and newcomers
* greater
incentives to the private sector to provide access
in underserved areas
* an international agreement on the
basic framework available to wireless Internet systems
* a
regional policy consensus on wireless technology policy to
encourage the private sector innovation and attract foreign
investment
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19991
----------------------------------------------------
15. ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPATIAL ECONOMY WITH
MULTI-UNIT/MULTI-PLANT FIRMS: THE IMPACT OF IT DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Masahisa Fujita;
Toshitaka Gokan
Produced by: Institute of Developing Economies, Japan
External Trade Organisation (IDE-JETRO), Tokyo(2005)
This paper examines how the decline of communication costs
between management and production facilities within firms
and the decrease in trade costs of manufactured goods affect
the spatial organization of a two-region economy with
multi-unit/multi-plant firms. The development of
information technology decreases the costs of communication
and trade costs.The fragmentation of firms is promoted.
The study shows that:
* with decreasing communication
costs, firms producing low trade-cost products (such as
consumer electronics) tend to concentrate their
manufacturing plants in low wage countries.
* firms
producing high trade-cost products (such as automobiles)
tend
to have multiple plants serving to segmented markets, even
in the absence of wage differentials.
[author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19722
----------------------------------------------------
16. THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ICT AND FDI
Authors: Gholami, R.;
Sang-Yong Tom Lee;
Heshmati, A.
Produced by: World Institute for Development Economics
Research (UNU/WIDER)(2005)
This paper investigates the simultaneous causal relationship
between investments in information and communication
technology (ICT) and flows of foreign direct investment
(FDI), with reference to its implications on economic
growth. It uses data from 23 major countries for the
period 1976–99.
The paper makes the key points that:
* there is
increasing empirical evidence that FDI has made a positive
contribution to the economic growth of developing countries,
although certain areas, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, have not
been as successul in attracting foreign
capital
* so far many factors like infrastructure, human
capital, low wages, natural resources, political stability
are mentioned in the literature as determinants of FDI, but
the effects of information and communication technology
(ICT) have been little examined
* economies
that successfully implement new ICT might be able to
overcome barriers that have previously held them back in
their contribution in global trade
* the rapid spread of
the Internet has opened up the possibility of accessing
commercial and political information that was previously
unavailable.
The paper examines the thesis that ICT
increases inflows of FDI to developing countries mainly
because ICT lowers the transaction and production costs of
foreign investors.
It finds that:
* there is a causal relationship from
ICT to FDI in developed countries, which means that a higher
level of ICT investment leads to an increase inflow of FDI.
Thus ICT may contribute to economic growth indirectly by
attracting more FDI
* there is no
significant causality from ICT to FDI in developing
countries. Instead, there is partial evidence of an opposite
causality relationship, whereby the inflow of FDI causes
further increases in ICT investment and production
capacity
* thus, in developing countries, ICT capacity must
be built up in order to attract FDI. Then the inflow of FDI
causes further increases in ICT investment.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19266
----------------------------------------------------
17. TRADE IN TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES: OPPORTUNITIES AND
CONSTRAINTS
Authors: Kathuria, R.
Produced by: Indian Council for Research on International
Economic Relations (ICRIER)(2004)
The growing importance of services such as
telecommunications in various countries resulted in a demand
to bring services trade under a framework of multilateral
trade rules. This paper brings together the issues that are
relevant to the WTO negotiations specific to
telecommunication services from an Indian perspective. The
objective is to focus on the opportunities and challenges in
the multilateral trade of telecom services against the
backdrop of the rapidly changing domestic and international
telecom environment.
The paper reviews the present Indian Telecom market
structure and its evolution over the last decade, while
still bringing out the need and scope for further reforms.
The paper starts by giving a brief overview of the
telecommunication services in the world economy, with a
focus
on Asia Pacific and particularly India.
The paper provides insight on the following:
* the
relevant positions of GATS and other rules and disciplines
for telecommunications
* the liberalisation in
telecommunications services under the Uruguay round
* a
comparison of WTO commitments made by India with the
actual policy implemented/under consideration
* the
telecom policies of other WTO members that India should
consider during GATS negotiations.
On the basis of
the analyses of the wedge between the present regime and
India’s present commitments, requests on India and
offers on the table, the paper shows that there is
considerable scope to make further commitments in this
sector in the ongoing negotiations without changing the
existing regime. As the regime is already liberal in
developed countries a quid pro quo will have to be sought in
other
sectors.
The author also reviews some policy reform that can be
further considered in the sector and suggests the following:
* the elimination of restrictions on the number of
operators and on the geographical coverage
* the removal
of restrictions on foreign equity
* the full
commitment to the reference paper of the basic
telecommunications negotiations
* the removal of all
remaining MA and NT limitations for telecommunications
services
* the removal of restriction on resale
* the removal of present exemptions on international service
regarding accounting rates.
In the end, the author suggests a
strategy for ongoing negotiations where India needs to look
at issues in the following order:
* policies for which a commitment may be made as they exist at present or will
evolve during the early phase of negotiations
* policies for which commitments may be
introduced in terms of a commitment to review
* policies
which should be considered in the interim phase of the
negotiations, based on domestic developments
* policies for which a commitment could be considered in terms
of a phase-in time period.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19490
----------------------------------------------------
18. STIMULATING INVESTMENT IN NETWORK DEVELOPMENT: ROLES FOR
REGULATORS
Authors: Mahan, A.;
Melody, W. (eds)
(2005)
This report reviews the interrelations between network
investment and telecom regulation, and identifies major
areas in which regulatory risk can be assessed. It looks at
a range of generic issues:
* interconnection
* prepaid mobile
* internet and radio
* e-commerce
* benchmarking national regulatory authority
websites
* indicators for assessing regulatory
risk
It also offers seven detailed country case
studies (Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Ghana,
Somaliland and Denmark).
Its analysis demonstrates that investment in network
development has not received, and is currently not receiving
the priority attention by regulators needed for significant
network development.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20104
----------------------------------------------------
19. MEASURING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
Authors: Minges, M.;
ITU
Produced by: International Telecommunication Union
(ITU)(2005)
There are many different indices which rank the world's
countries according to their level of ICT penetration or
their ‘e-readiness’, but there is no agreement on what
indicators to include or what methodology to use. To tackle
this issue, a new methodology has been released for
developing a composite Digital Opportunity Index (DOI).
As a proof-of-concept, the methodology has been applied to
40 leading economies, with Sweden, Denmark, South Korea,
Switzerland and Hong Kong appearing in the top five. The DOI
has been developed according to a modular methodology, so
that it can be easily extended, adapted for
national use, or used alongside other indices, such as the
UNDP's Human Development Index. The proposed methodology is
structured around eleven indicators in four
clusters:
* Affordability and coverage: mobile
phone coverage and tariff baskets for mobiles and Internet
access.
* Access path and device: penetration of
fixed-lines, mobile phones and
PCs.
* Infrastructure: fixed and mobile Internet
subscribers and international Internet bandwidth per
inhabitant.
* Quality: penetration of fixed and
mobile broadband
subscribers
The report finds that there is a close
relationship between each country’s DOI and its gross
national income per capita. However, the report shows that a
number of economies such as South Korea and Taiwan are doing
much better in ICTs than their incomes would
suggest, while countries such as Austria and the United
States have lower DOI scores than it would be expected.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19543
----------------------------------------------------
20. TOWARDS AN E-INDEX FOR SOUTH AFRICA: MEASURING HOUSEHOLD
AND INDIVIDUAL ACCESS AND USAGE OF ICT
Authors: Gillwald, A.;
Esselaar, S.;
Burton, P.;
Stavrou, A.
Produced by: Research ICT Africa!(2005)
This survey looks at household and individual usage of ICTs
in South Africa, and considers the likely effect of proposed
policy and regulatory changes on this situation.
The report finds that:
* protectionist policies
emerging from the privatisation of Telkom have not served
the country well and while they allowed for the maximisation
of state assets this occurred at the expense of the ICT
sector and indeed the national economy. The
household survey showed relatively low household penetration
rates for communication services in South Africa, with
access to fixed lines at 22%. Significantly, of the 32% of
the population with mobile phones, 14% also have access to a
fixed phone, suggesting that while mobile
telephony offers convenience and additional utility it has
only extended access to a further 18% of the population.
While this is significant more than 68% of the population
continue not to own phones. In this regard South Africa
compares poorly with other lower middle income
countries.
* South Africans value communications services
and are willing to pay an extraordinarily high price for
them: 8% of household income compared to international
averages of around 3%. However pricing clearly remains an
inhibiting factor both with regard to ownership
and usage.
* usage of mobile services has increased
exponentially. Despite the high cost of premium-rated,
pre-paid airtime services, mobile usage rates have increased
exponentially. The convenience and flexibility of pre-paid
mobile services (lack of credit checks, and a pay-as-
you-go system) have clearly spurred the adoption on a
massive scale.
* however the number of fixed lines
continue to be an important developmental measure, as there
is a danger that a new digital divide will develop, between
those with access to data services and those without.
* the continued high level of usage of public access
phones, even among those with access to mobile phones, was
perhaps one of the most interesting findings of the study
and indicates the highly levels of dependence on access
mechanism that aggregate demand and generally offer
lower prices. Where these calling opportunities are most
available ( in densely populated metropolitan areas) around
70% of respondents in metropolitan areas still used public
access phones, and together with areas of lower access,
nearly a quarter of the population continues to
utilise these.
* telecentre were used by less than a fifth
of respondents, while private telephone kiosks are used by
nearly half of respondents. The greatest place of access to
both basic and advanced services is the respondents’ place
of work or school which is also indicative
of the bias towards business over residential lines in the
country.
* household Internet penetration is remarkably
low at 3.5% of the respondents, with most Internet users
acquiring access at work or school. With the low levels of
household PC ownership (12%) and with the high
cost of the fixed line infrastructure there is the danger
that Internet will rapidly reach saturation. While Internet
is used only under these circumstances it is not likely to
drive uptake of residential broadband services and until
there is widespread connectivity at the
household level with access to enhanced services, citizens
will not be able to participate optimally in the economy or
society.
The report also looks at the policy
implications of these findings, and the introduction of
government licensing frameworks due in 2005 aimed at
opening the sector to greater competition. The report warns
that:
* once the liberalisation of self-provisioning
and resale of bandwidth is enabled on both the demand and
supply side, greater choice and cheaper prices for VANS and
ISP services should result, but this likely
to be primarily in urban areas since rural areas are
perceived to be uneconomic, especially in the light of the
diminishing business case for USALs.
* getting backbone and services out to under-serviced
areas remains a major challenge for Government as the low
access to both private and collective communication service
areas in rural areas indicates. The privatisation strategy
to double the network clearly failed with two
million disconnections during the last three years of the
exclusivity. The USAL strategy to encourage market entry
into under-serviced areas has now been overtaken by events
and failure to provide a supportive regulatory environment
making entry into this market increasingly less
attractive and at best very marginal.
* the proposed 50% discount on Internet connectivity for
all public educational institutions will require skillful
management if it is not to become counterproductive. It has
the potential to interfere in the market mechanism which
establishes prices, and can in turn lead to
distortions in the market.
However, these
developments, together with the proposed convergence
legislation, have the potential to create an environment
more conducive to investment and effective competitive.
Together with proposed changes to the licensing and
regulatory
regime this should allow market forces to drive down prices
with positive effects on the price of communication services
and indeed the cost of business in South Africa. [adapted
from author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19544
----------------------------------------------------
21. E-ACCESS AND USAGE INDEX: ETHIOPIA REPORT
Authors: Research ICT Africa
Produced by: Research ICT Africa!(2005)
This paper provides a brief overview of the Ethiopian
telecommunications sector performance and findings of a
e-usage study that analysed user demands for communication
services
The survey finds that:
* there is a scarcity of fixed
and mobile phone lines, but an increasing use of public
access points such as private kiosks, telecentres and public
phones in Ethiopia.
* there is a relatively high use of
telephones, even when the distance is far, the
cost is high and per capita income is low: suggesting that
the demand for mobile and fixed phones is far greater than
what was historically anticipated by policy makers and the
incumbent telecommunication operator. People seem to be
prepared to travel long distance and pay higher
cost to make phone calls at least on a regular basis. The
survey further revealed that efforts and policies to
increase telephone penetration have not been successful in
making a dent to this universal access problem.
* post is
not the most common means of communication in
Ethiopia. Postal service was not adequately diffused
throughout the country. Besides being slow, mails often get
lost. As a result, public access points remained the major
form of communication. People in rural areas tend to make
longer intra-district, national and international
phone calls than sending mails.
* Many Ethiopians work
abroad particularly in Gulf States. Telephones remain the
most important tool for transfer of remittances. This
suggests the importance of universal service strategies that
promote community access points and those who
allow rural people to make calls to urban areas and
internationally to solicit the transfer of remittances or
provide a platform for communications between relatives and
friends.
* billing problems and affordability were
regarded as the major constraints in utilizing the fixed
phones effectively. Tariffs should be revised to allow those
in rural areas to make calls and effective strategies need
to be put in place to sort out billing problems.
* the
survey showed a significant potential for widespread use of
mobile phones by those who are employed in
the informal sector. Current projections for increasing
penetration from 0.22% to 1.5% are indeed very low. A 3-5%
penetration found to be ideal. Added services like call
routing and SMS should be integrated to the subscription
package of mobile phones so as to stimulate demand.
User education on various features of mobile services is
also important.
* the low level of Internet penetration
points to a high cost, slow speed and low quality of
service. Knowledge of how to use the Internet services is a
significant driver of its demand. Where available,
Internet was concentrated in a high income, well-educated
part of the society and has not brought substantial impact
on majority of Ethiopians. It is critical that policy makers
and the regulator monitor the quality of service and the
tariff to respond to user requirements.
Stimulating demand in schools and at work place would also
increase Internet penetration. Promoting community/public
Internet access would increase its value to the society.
* The significant gender gap in accessing to communication
services in Ethiopia is disconcerting but
expected to be bridged with availability of pre-paid mobile
phones and public access points that are run by women. There
has been a significant increase in the number of women
operating telecentres, following the liberalization of
public call services in 2003. This is expected to
improve women’ access to communication services. As more
women continue to manage cyber cafés access to these by
women is expected to improve.
Adequate penetration of
mobile phones, fixed lines and Internet or reduction in the
gender gap cannot be achieved unless
communication becomes cheaply and widely available
throughout the country. The survey findings demonstrated low
level of earnings that do not correspond to the current
pricing of communication services, particularly for
accessing to the Internet. The capacity to pay is the main
factor for low level of Internet penetration and the
difficulty in attracting customers over the last two years
as those who can afford had already connected. Government
needs to take proactive steps to promote competition,
increase public access and reduce prices of communication
services so as to improve access to those who need it the
most. [adapted from author]
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19545
----------------------------------------------------
22. WHY SHOULD COUNTRIES EMBED ICTS INTO SME POLICY?
Authors: APDIP
Produced by: Asia-Pacifiic Development Information Program
(APDIP)(2005)
This briefing paper highlights three main ways ICTs can
benefit SMEs:
* increase productivity in the
production process
* increase efficiency of internal
business operations
* connect SMEs more easily and cheaply
to external contacts, whether locally or
globally
Despite the obvious and concrete benefits
that ICTs can bring to SMEs, SMEs in most developing
countries have been slow to adopt it. At the same time, most
governments have not embedded ICTs into SME policy.
The paper includes examples of how Asian governments have
launched initiatives to encourage and enable SMEs to use
ICTs:
* Hong Kong targets training at different
sectors; Japan provides tax rebates for SMEs using
ICTs
* Republic of Korea provides a web forum for SMEs to
showcase their products to an international
market
* Philippines is working to reduce the cost of
international phone calls by deregulating
Voice-over-Internet Protocol
* Singapore subsidizes
computer training for SMEs employees and provides the
foundation for developing secure
e-payment services
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC20071
----------------------------------------------------
23. MEETING: NATIONAL CONSULTATION ON DESIGNING AN ENABLING
FRAMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY RADIO IN BANGLADESH, 6 - 7 DECEMBER,
2005, DHAKA, BANGLADESH
Authors: Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio & Communication
Produced by: Announcements Listing, Eldis(2005)
Two-day long national consultation on "Designing an Enabling
Framework for Community Radio in Bangladesh" has been
shifted 6-7 December, 2005 at LGED auditorium, Agargoan,
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BNNRC, Focus, MMC, Voice & YPSA has initiated jointly to
form a forum for Community Radio Broadcasting in Bangladesh.
This platform will carry out its advocacy activities to
bring the community radio come into being. The organisations
have taken joint initiative to organise a
"National consultation on designing an enabling framework
for community radio in Bangladesh" and UNESCO, UNICEF and
UNDP have expressed their interest to support to organise
the national consultation.
For more information and to register visit the website.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19882
----------------------------------------------------
24. DISCUSSION FORUM: UNESCO INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR
EDUCATIONAL PLANNING, INTERNET DISCUSSION FORUM ON OPEN
COURSE CONTENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 24 OCTOBER – 2 DECEMBER
2005
Authors: UNESCO International Institute for Educational
Planning
Produced by: International Institute for Educational
Planning (IIEP), UNESCO(2005)
UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning
(IIEP) has been given support by the William and Flora
Hewlett Foundation to initiate an extended interaction on
the topic of open content, in the context of the
Foundation's interest in the broader area of Open
Educational
Resources. The first stage of this project will take place
in October/November 2005, when we will hold an initial
structured Internet forum, to explore the concept and
context of open course content, current initiatives, and
issues and implications of its use. The project is
headed by Susan D'Antoni.
For further information or to receive an application to
participate in the IIEP discussion, send a request to Susan
D'Antoni at virtual.university a iiep.unesco.org. Link:
http://www.unesco.org/iiep/virtualuniversity/forums.php
Contact Susan D’Antoni: virtual.university a iiep.unesco.org
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC19450
----------------------------------------------------
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