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  • East ASEAN to rollout regional ICT projects

    samedi, mars 31, 2012 - 05:05
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group for the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines–East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) identified three major projects to be included in the BIMP-EAGA Implementation Blueprint (IB) for 2012-2016. According to Attorney Jonalyn Bagayan from the Mindanao Development Authority, the projects includes the roll out of the ICT rural outreach program, the establishment of the BIMP-EAGA rink (submarine cable), and the implementation of the Intelligence Clearance Identification (iClid). The ICT Rural outreach program aims to improve ICT literacy of rural communities through the construction of e-telecentres equipped with e-Learning models and mobile applications. In the Philippines, the Committee has identified 30 pilot sites in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the roll-out of the e-telecentres. Each pilot site is expected to have 20 computers. E.A. Trillink Inc. is the private sector lead of the program in the Philippines. The latter is investing US$33 million for the installation of around 2,000 telecentres in ARMM. Meanwhile, Brunei has successfully implemented the program’s first phase which includes training courses on e-commerce and the establishment of e-telecentres equipped with broadband internet, and other applications. The BIMP - EAGA Rink project on the other hand, aims to develop BIMP-EAGA as a new hub and centre of investment by leveraging a Hybrid Communications Platform which would make use of sea cable, satellite, or terrestrial systems. Lastly, the iCLid project will use a combination of Radio-frequency Identification and web technology to facilitate cross-border movement of goods and vehicles within the BIMP-EAGA region. Brunei Darussalam has already implemented the first phase of the project in Sungai Tujoh and Kuala Lurah, and will extend it to Sabah and Sarawak checkpoints in Malaysia for the second phase. Each checkpoint is estimated to cost around US$1.5 million. (Source: FutureGov) Further details

  • School program makes use of new skills, old computers - USA

    jeudi, mars 29, 2012 - 17:45
    When a large company or famous philanthropist donates computers to children to advance their learning and give them online access to the world, it makes an impact. But when the donors are young teenagers who revamped and renovated the computers themselves, it makes an even bigger impact. Students and teachers at Forest Park High School, a public magnet school in Woodbridge, Va., say their school’s computer donation program has become an essential part of the learning experience. It has also become an essential asset for the community. The program combines academic learning and hands-on lab work with community service. First students learn about computer systems and networks. Then they rebuild used computers and give them away to children and other schools needing computers. It is the act of giving that solidifies the learning experience, says Brian Hackett, an instructional technologist at the school and co-coordinator for the program. “It becomes personal. You don’t get personal in learning until the kids see results of what they have learned”. Hackett thinks education in general should head in the direction of combining schooling with community service. Applying academic material gives it relevance. The students seemed to agree. “When we go to events to give the computers away, the parents and students are overwhelmed with joy. The smiles on their faces are amazing”, said Karl Stallknecht, a student at Forest Park. “You can see the big picture”. As the students worked on restoring computers to mint condition during class, they spoke about their coursework with enthusiasm. They seemed to grasp the complexities of information technology as they discussed network systems, web hosting, cloud-based solutions, Linux operating systems, and various software programs. Listening to their high level of discourse, it was clear they understood as least as much about technology as the average adult working in the field. (Source: eschool News) More details

  • Andes: new initiatives to reduce digital gap

    mardi, mars 27, 2012 - 22:40
    The digital gap that faced by Quechua-speaking communities of the Andes could be reduced thanks to two initiatives that create content in this language and replace the lack of Internet connectivity with off-line versions. A project sponsored by One Laptop Per Child Association (OLPC by its acronym in English), works in an offline version, based on the Wikipedia online in Quechua language, so that could be used by students who speak that language and have no Internet connectivity. "The wiki page in Quechua is too good and it is wasted because most Quechua speakers do not have Internet access" told Gonzalo Odiard to SciDev.Net, from the Association OLPC and Sugar Labs project, global initiative, which uses a computer learning platform for children to learn together through the computer. Odiard had already successfully completed a similar project in Rwanda, based on the wiki kinyarwanda. The project to provide a viewer for the wikipedia offline on computers using the XO which use OLPC program was created by Chris Ball in 2008, in Spanish and English. Based on this project, "we developed a set of tools used to process files of wikipedia dump (a kind of backup of all contents of all pages in the wiki), select a set of pages, compress and prepare so they can be deployed locally on computers", said Odiard. The community “Somos Azúcar” will do the same with wikipedia pages in Aymara and Guarani. This Projects would be aimed at users of the highland areas of Peru and Bolivia in the first case, and Paraguay in the second, where these languages are spoken, and where the population has not full Internet access. The most important thing is that the project has no cost. "For every wikipedia collaborate volunteers who speak the language and that we are working, doing quality control and selecting relevant articles", said Odiard. Another initiative, the Mozilla community in Peru, seeks to turn the Quechua language in one of the Firefox web browser, that is why the community has invited to all Quechua speaker and who wish, to contribute in the construction of the project. (Source: SciDev.Net) Further details

  • 'Easy Pay - Digital Pay ', an inclusive Project Law - Colombia

    lundi, mars 26, 2012 - 23:27
    The ICT Ministry and the Ministry of Finance released the draft law “Easy Pay - Digital Pay”, which seeks to bring transactional services to the entire population and expanding demand over the Internet. The Deputy Minister for ICT, María Carolina Hoyos Turbay and Technical Deputy Minister of Finance, Ana Fernanda Maiguashca, presented the draft law 'Easy Pay - Digital Pay' during the Third Congress of Access to Financial Services, Payment Systems and Tools, organized by Asobancaria in Cartagena (Colombia). The project serves a new digital payments business that will allow Colombians to make their transactions safely, efficiently and at lower cost. It also seeks financial inclusion of the population which develops informal productive activities, and thus tending to the formalization of the transactions in the economy. "The idea is that people can do their financial transactions from their phones, tablets and other mobile devices, to no longer waste time on travel and rows. It is a great alternative for people who live in rural or remote areas of banking areas", said Vice ICT. Technical Deputy Minister of Finance said that it is important a balance between protection and access to electronic transactions, as this project is part of the strategy that seeks that more Colombians are banked. Now there are over one million users of mobile transaction, this thanks to the coordination of different actors in the government and the private sector, who in a joint, are driving the delivery of government subsidies through electronic wallets. This mechanism has reduced prices incurred by the national government to meet the basic needs of vulnerable sections of the country, and also this social service is going to be provided in an efficient, quick and transparent way. Mobile banking has grown substantially in recent years. According to the latest report of the Superintendency of Colombia, the channel used by financial users in Colombia is the cell phone, with a 26% of usability. (Source: MINTIC –Colombia) Further details

  • Creating an 'energy Internet' for the poor

    vendredi, mars 23, 2012 - 19:38
    The world's poorest countries can jump directly from the pre-electricity era into a new industrial revolution through an "energy Internet" — the uptake of renewable energy shared through communication technologies, argues economist Jeremy Rifkin. "The great economic revolutions in history occur when new communication technologies converge with new energy systems", writes Rifkin. And now — with industrial civilization at a crossroads and the need to transition to a post-carbon era — internet technology and renewable energies are coming together to create a new infrastructure for a Third Industrial Revolution, a decentralized system where millions of people can produce green energy locally and share it with each other. Rifkin points out that because developing countries do not have an aging electricity grid, they can "leapfrog" into a new energy era by building new, distributed electricity systems. This will significantly reduce the time and cost of making the transition — the European Union needs to spend US$ 1.3 trillion between 2010 and 2020 to update electricity grids and keep up with renewable energy. Economic development is impossible without reliable and affordable green electricity, says Rifkin, and this democratization of energy will help raise 40 per cent of the global population out of poverty. Power and control over energy will shift from "giant" fossil fuel companies to millions of small producers, diffusing risk as neighborhoods and regions pool resources to create local grids. Establishing this infrastructure to transition to a Third Industrial Revolution will require setting down several 'pillars' simultaneously, which include shifting to renewable energy; building micro-power plants to collect renewable energies; and using the Internet to create an "energy-sharing intergrid". (Source:SciDevNet) Further details

  • ICT is key in the protection of the rights of children as consumers - Colombia

    jeudi, mars 22, 2012 - 05:32
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} On 15 March, was held the Consumer's Day in the world and to celebrate it, the Superintendency of Industry and Trade in conjunction with the School Cafam, prepared virtual guides 'Alert and Safety in the Network', by which, children and young people will get information about the expected behavior on the Internet, warning of hazards and risks, plus tips and suggestions for browsing the network. This is framed in the Act 1480 - 2011, through which was issued the Consumer Protection Statute, which protects the right of all consumers to be educated about their rights. The Deputy Minister for ICT, María Carolina Hoyos, helped to launch the project, which intends to continue with the issue of virtual cards in matters of protection and safety of children as consumers, to allow- through the use of technological tools-present, disseminate and educate Colombians about their rights under the law in their role as consumers. "For the ICT Ministry is a priority to develop strategies for our children, so they will be better users of ICT, especially Internet and, as such, they should respect their rights. Committed to that purpose, under the Digital Living Plan, we developed the strategy 'EnTicConfio', a novel model by which we produce, collect and disclose content to provide citizens with valuable tools to make better use of ICT ", said Hoyos, the Deputy Minister. Also, the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce started to provide to manufacturers, suppliers and marketers of good services, as well as general users, the tool called VIRTUAL BOX, by which they can meet the demands that promote consumer to the entity, as an efficient and expeditious channel of communication with the SIC. (Source: MINTIC –Colombia) Further details

  • Research. Tracking Mobile Money Use in Tanzania

    mardi, mars 20, 2012 - 18:10
    In quarterly tracking studies through fall 2012, InterMedia is monitoring trends in awareness and use of mobile money in Tanzania, for the benefit of the financial access stakeholder community. This first quarterly report, covering the period Sept-Nov. 2011, provides a concise view on levels of awareness and use, triggers and deterrents to use, what alternatives to mobile money services are being used, and perspectives on successful marketing of mobile money services. As Key Points this report shows: Ownership of a mobile phone in Tanzania is high with more than three-quarters (78 percent) of Tanzanians having household ownership of a mobile phone and 63 percent having personal ownership. General awareness of mobile money (MM) services in Tanzania is almost universal with 93 percent of Tanzanians aware of at least one brand of mobile money services. However, only about a quarter of the population (24 percent) is actually using MM. Use of mobile money is not even across demographic characteristics. Usage of mobile money is positively associated with ownership of mobile phones. Income often not a factor in usage of MM applications. MM usage still restricted to sending and receiving money. Non-MM users are not yet convinced that MM is reliable, trustworthy, or convenient. Rural females living below the $1.25/day PPP poverty line, the population least likely to use MM currently, express the most interest in the product’s safety, security and convenience. Full Report (Source: InterMedia)

  • Vietnamese city to provide free wifi for residents

    mercredi, mars 14, 2012 - 18:04
    Located 160km Northeast of Hanoi, Ha Long—capital city of Quang Ninh province, Vietnam—”has started installing 30 wireless base broadcasting stations to provide free wifi for citizen and tourists” revealed Mr Nguyen Minh Hong, Director General, Department of Information and Communications, Quang Ninh province. The project to offer free wifi for the main cities of Quang Ninh is estimated to cost about 350 trillion Dong (USD 17 million). The first implementation phase required an investment of about 100 trillion Dong (USD 5 million) to “establish free wifi for Ha Long city”. Quang Ninh local government is working closely with the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT) to implement this project. VNPT is responsible for installing infrastructure and collect monthly wireless internet fee from local government and end-users who need better services for their entertainment needs. Hong told FutureGov that the Ha Long project is expected to be finished before the end of April 2012 when the local tourism festival begins. The free wifi coverage will help meet internet access needs of local citizens, investors and tourists. (Source: FutureGov) Further details

  • Connectivity How Mobile Phones, Computers and the Internet Can Catalyze Women's Entrepreneurship - India: A Case Study

    mardi, mars 13, 2012 - 18:21
    This study examines how access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming the economic opportunities available to poor and low-income women in India by promoting their entrepreneurial activity. What types of initiatives support small and medium enterprises for women, and through which ICTs? What factors shape a positive connection between ICTs and women’s business success? What barriers have been lifted and what opportunities realized? What types of impact are ICT-based initiatives having on women, their businesses and beyond? What promising pathways are being shaped, and what channels have yet to be explored? The larger goal of this research is to identify how technology can be leveraged to create and transform entrepreneurial opportunities for women across the globe. The insights presented here are intended to inform programs, policies and investments that encourage women to start, strengthen and sustain businesses by adopting and using ICTs. Recommendations aim to provide direction for stakeholders—development actors, governments, and especially the private sector—on how they can support women’s entrepreneurship through ICT platforms, products and services. (Source: International Center for Research on Women - ICRW)  Full Report

  • Research. How are women who are making less than $ 2 a day using mobile tech?

    lundi, mars 12, 2012 - 19:59
    March 8th is International Women's Day and to mark the occasion, the GSMA mWomen Programme has released a study called "Striving and Surviving – Exploring the Lives of Women at the Base of the Pyramid". Drawn from 2,500 interviews with women (aged 16-64 in both rural and urban areas) living on less that $2 a day in Egypt, India, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda, the report looks at how mobile technology influences the way women approach health, economic development, and family relationships, and what mobile operators can do to reach more low-income women. The report is divided into three parts; part one looks at the social, cultural, and economic factors that women at the base of the economic pyramid face in their daily lives, part two looks at the role of mobile technology in their lives, and part three looks at how technology can be used to further reach low-income women. Some of the statistics pulled from the report show that when asked what the key benefits of mobile would be: 80% reported being connected to friends and family 58% said it would be useful in an emergency 40% said it would cut down on travel time 15% believed it would help them feel secure 93% reported that mobile phones made them feel safer, while the same proportion particularly valued being connected to friends and family. 41% reported that owning a mobile had helped them increase their income or their professional prospects 85% of mobile owners reported a greater feeling of independence Full Report (Source: Mobile Active)

  • Broadband For Nigeria - Next ICT Development Frontier

    jeudi, mars 8, 2012 - 04:42
    This paper makes the case for a National Software and Broadband Policy in support of the recently published draft National ICT Policy of January 2012 by the Ministry of Communications Technology's Ministerial Committee on ICT Policy Harmonization which includes in its objectives, "To encourage the development of Broadband services that will enable Nigerians enjoy the benefits of globalization and convergence". Specifically, the paper builds on the Broadband Section of the policy which states that "It is widely acknowledged that broadband infrastructure is an enabler for economic and social growth in the digital economy. Therefore as part of the universal service obligation, broadband access shall be made universally available to all citizens." This section of the policy sets the National Broadband objectives as - To accelerate the penetration of affordable broadband Internet in the country and - to foster broadband usage for national development. The strategies put forward for achieving these objectives are that the Government shall: Provide periodic review of the broadband penetration targets in order to determine further action for broadband expansion; Promote both supply- and demand-side policies that create incentives for broadband backbone and access network deployment; Facilitate broadband development and deployment, leveraging on existing universal service frameworks; Provide special incentives to operators to encourage them to increase their investment in broadband rollout; Promote e-Government and other e-services that would foster broadband usages. (Source: allAfrica) Further Details

  • First mobile phone cash transfers facilitate UN-backed home rebuilding - Haiti

    mercredi, mars 7, 2012 - 04:44
    Survivors of the 2010 devastating earthquake in Haiti have this week started receiving cash subsidies through the first-ever mobile money transfer system in support of post-disaster housing reconstruction, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported. More than 2,000 mobile money transfers are planned in the next three months to 1,000 low-income families receiving subsidies totalling $500 to purchase construction materials such as cement, iron and wood at selected project-certified stores. The initiative is part of the ‘Community Support Centres for House Repairs’, a partnership between UNDP and the Government of Haiti. Commissioned by UNDP and developed by Digicel, one of the country’s largest cell phone service providers, the mobile telephone cash transfers are helping boost financial inclusion in Haiti, where nearly two-thirds of the population has access to mobile phones, but only 10 per cent have bank accounts. Beneficiaries can also access a mobile phone checking account, which is a safer method of keeping cash, reduces financial transaction costs, improves users’ ability to save and helps bring more people into the formal financial sector. “Mobile phone vouchers create additional security and convenience here in Haiti, especially for women, who might feel more vulnerable when carrying large sums of money”, said Jessica Faieta, Senior UNDP Country Director for Haiti. She stressed that more than 40 per cent of Haitian households are led by women. “With safer housing conditions, this initiative will also encourage the permanent return of camp residents to their neighbourhoods and repaired homes”, she added. The Support Centres, known locally by their French acronym as CARMEN, have been empowering quake-affected communities in Port-au-Prince and the western town of Léogâne to directly take charge of house repairs, with engineering assessments and construction training. Four thousand families have already registered to participate in the project, benefiting 12,000 people. Five thousand participants have been trained in construction techniques and 2,000 damaged houses have already been evaluated, according to UNDP. (Source: United Nations) Further Details

  • New study: The world is ready for mobile healthcare

    mardi, mars 6, 2012 - 18:04
    The study identifies the main healthcare challenges in each study country, and estimates the potential benefits over the next decade of large-scale mHealth solutions being made available, leveraging the best evidence available on mHealth pilots to date. It also examines the roles stakeholders need to play to help make this a reality. Based on the explosive growth in global mobile phone penetration, a technology revolution is quickly gaining pace in healthcare. Around the world, healthcare systems are overburdened, costly and incapable of meeting the needs of a growing population. According to a new study from The Boston Consulting Group and Telenor Group, mobile health technology can offer sizeable benefits to all countries, lead to economic growth and promise a better life for individuals. The study "Socio-Economic Impact of mHealth " - commissioned by Telenor Group and carried out by The Boston Consulting Group - is a comprehensive survey of the impact that mHealth initiatives can have in 12 countries. What unites them all is that mobile health technology can improve the quality, reach and effectiveness of services while reducing costs and the overall system burden. Telenor Group has launched a number of mobile health initiatives across its markets. In Norway, an assisted living project helps the elderly stay longer at home through mobile alarm systems. In Thailand, a mobile text messaging service provides epidemic surveillance. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, a service called Healthline provides patients with a simple number to dial for both serious and non-serious medical needs. In India, mothers can obtain critical information about prenatal health via their phones. In Montenegro, a joint project with the EU provides a service for remotely located elderly people, enabled by one touch on a button on their mobile handset. In Serbia, mobile health technology is used to increase the quality of medical registration and reporting for the Roma community. Among the key findings: The necessary infrastructure is already in everyone's hands: 7.4 billion mobile subscriptions projected by 2015 The technology richness and network capacity is sufficient, both on simple feature phones and on smart devices Currently, more than 500 mobile health projects are taking place around the world Costs in elderly care can be reduced by 25% with mobile healthcare Maternal and perinatal mortality can be reduced by 30% Twice as many rural patients can be reached per doctor Tuberculosis treatment compliance can be improved by 30-70% 30% of smartphone users are likely to use "wellness apps" by 2015 Costs related to data collection can be reduced by 24% Smartphone is the most popular technology among doctors since the stethoscope (Source: Reuters News) Further details

  • Mobile Phones and Apps Making a Difference in the Lives of Poor Farmers – Kenya

    vendredi, mars 2, 2012 - 19:50
    A farmers’ organization in Western Kenya uses mobile phones to access a digital marketplace and bypass middlemen. Now trading directly with exporters, the group is seeing dramatic increases in income. New mobile applications are also being used to provide timely information about disease outbreaks to farmers in Eastern Africa, so they can prepare and prevent the pests from affecting their livestock. Understanding and addressing global agriculture developments - both positive and negative - are critical to improving smallholder livelihoods. These are just two examples of how the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) can improve smallholder farmers’ income and increase agricultural productivity. Expanded and increasingly affordable connectivity and tools, especially mobile phones, as well as advances in data storage and open access, have made ICT relevant to agriculture. Now, the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department (ARD) has teamed up with infoDev to connect smallholder farmers to knowledge, networks, and institutions. “The missing link to achieving smallholder farmer growth has always been access to timely, cost-effective, and personally relevant information on improved practices, markets, prices, inputs, weather - and impending disasters,” said Mark Cackler, sector manager for ARD. Smallholder farmers, who still provide a significant portion of the world’s food, need information to advance their work just as much as industrial-scale producers, but they often lack access to simple tools and technologies that can provide essential information on prices, markets, varieties, production techniques, services, storage, or processing. As a result, smallholder farmers remain dependent primarily on word of mouth, previous experience, and local leadership. But this is changing as the types of ICT-enabled services useful to improving the capacity and livelihoods of poor smallholders are growing quickly. For example, short messaging service (SMS) is now enabling mobile phones to be used as a platform for agricultural information exchange. (Source: The World Bank) Further Details