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Bridging the Digital Divide: Improving Quality of Life in Developing Nations through Computer Networks

This article explores the hypothesis that computer networks can enhance the quality of life in developing nations at a relatively low cost. The marginal impact is increased by the lack of alternative ICT and transportation options, and raising the quality of rural life can reduce pressure for urban migration. The text provides an overview of various initiatives, such as training programs, ICT readiness assessments, pilot projects, and conferences/workshops. It also highlights successful applications in education, healthcare, e-commerce, democracy/human rights, e-government, and news/entertainment, as well as specific case studies like the N-Logue rural kiosks, E-choupal, and Cuban Youth Computer Clubs. The article emphasizes the persistence of the digital divide and the challenges in connecting rural areas, and proposes a grand challenge to connect three billion people in developing nations within ten years. It concludes by discussing the cost context and precedents of large-scale projects.

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Bridging the Digital Divide: Improving Quality of Life in Developing Nations through Computer Networks

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  1. 1990s hypothesis • Computer networks can improve the quality of life in developing nations at a relatively low cost • Marginal impact increased by a lack of alternative ICT and transportation • Raising the quality of rural life will reduce pressure for urban migration

  2. We have done • Training • ICT readiness assessments • Pilot projects • Conferences and workshops

  3. Training • Internet Society/World Bank Developing Nations Workshops • trained over 2,500 networking pioneers from every developing nation but North Korea. • Cisco Networking Academy: over 10,000 academies in 155 countries

  4. E-readiness assessments • 10 statistical/questionnaire methodologies • 8 case study methodologies • 137 nations have been assessed at least once • 55 nations have been assessed at least 5 times • 10 nations have been assessed at least 10 times

  5. Mosaic dimensions

  6. Successful Applications • Education • Health care • E-commerce • Democracy and human rights • E-government • News and entertainment

  7. Many successful pilots

  8. E-government

  9. Entertainment and connection to the outside world

  10. N-Logue rural Kiosk • Remote medicine • Remote veterinary • Remote agricultural advice • E-government • E-mail • digital photography • desktop publishing • Telephony • Break even at $75/mo.

  11. E-choupal home page

  12. E-choupal services • Login • Weather • Crop best practices • Market related information • Agricultural queries • Suggestion box • Farmer profile • Government schemes • News

  13. Cuban Youth Computer Clubs • 350 YCCs • Geographically dispersed • Education • Games • Email • News

  14. YCC mobile unit

  15. YCC mobile unit

  16. Where are we? • Many applications have been demonstrated. • The Internet is on the “radar screen” • But the digital divide persists • Capital is not available

  17. The “digital divide” persists

  18. Internet subscribers, 2005

  19. Cannot attract private capital • Cost of 20 hours access as percent of average monthly GNI per capita (2003)

  20. VSAT– the only way to connect most rural areas

  21. A grand challenge Connecting the approximately three billion people residing in three million rural villages of the developing nations within ten years.

  22. Grand challenges • I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth. John F. Kennedy, 1961 • That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Neil Armstrong, 1969

  23. An unconnected nation • No national backbone network • No residential connectivity • No commercial application • Character-oriented email and news primary applications • Connectivity only in a few universities • The US in 1989

  24. Fiber Backbone, Mesh, POPs

  25. FiberAfrica • 70,000 Km fiber core • 30,000 Km fiber spurs • Wireless to fiber • Reach 400 million • Walking/bicycling distance • 1 billion dollars Daunting, but with precedents

  26. Cost context, $billion • Manhattan project: 1.889 • US Interstate Highway system: 128.9 • Apollo program: 25.4 • GPS: 8.3 through 1995, 21.8 to complete • Baseball stadium: .581 • B2 bomber: 2.2 • US pet food: 10 per year • G8 African pledge: 25 per year (new)

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