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_/ b . y . t . e . s . f . o . r . a . l . l. issue dated 22 Jan 2001
_/ u n s u b s c r i p t i o n info at the end of the message
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BYTES FOR ALL web site (http://www.bytesforall.org) has been designated by
the Changemakers.net Library as one of the top Web sites for social
entrepreneurs, and has been entered into the collection at
http://www.changemakers.net/library/fieldlink.cfm?field=Asia.
Changemakers.net (http://www.changemakers.net/) is an initiative of
Ashoka - Innovators for the Public and is the leading Web site that
focuses on the rapidly growing world of social entrepreneurship. Its
mission is to provide inspiration, resources, and opportunities for
those interested in social change throughout the world.
Congrats to Partha Sarkar <[log in to unmask]> who is the person
primarily
working on creating and updating the bytesforall.org web site.
LOW-COST RADIO NETWORKS, DATA THRU THE PC: Atul Asthana
<[log in to unmask]>
is looking to provide low cost radio networks for villages to exchange data
thru PCs. He writes: "The prime objective is to improve quality of life and
empower villagers to take control of their fate. This requires extending
PC
based networks to villages in the local language. The connectivity is a
bottleneck. POTS cannot be relied upon. I guess the best alternative is
V/UHF
radio based ip network. The rquisite hardware and software (for
communication)
needs to be located."
Asthana says the idea is to provide a communication terminal (PC) with
information retrieval and uploading apps running, so that a villager can
findout rates in local 'mandi' (market) , post complaints to an official or
the
village doctor can refer to some medical expertise or get some governmental
info. This requires a single terminal in a village (to start with),
operating in local lingo (rather script) and manned by a person who is
literate and can operate the terminal. The bandwidth requirements are max
10kbps (at present), and he's looking at the use of old discarded PCs
operating Linux and connecting thru (presently POTS) a radio network.
Low-cost
of operation, infrastructure and good reliability would be critical factors.
"I'll need your help in any aspect viz. hardware, connectivity, end
application,
user education (and requirement of villagers). I've gone thru the WLL,
packet radio, GSM etc. tech/cost analysis and none of these seem to be
fit, they are either overkill on cost or technology (read complexity) or
not suitable for web based/IP networks (full duplex connectivity)," writes
Asthana.
PROF ASHOK JHUNJHUNWALA, OF IIT-MADRAS <[log in to unmask]> responded to say
that the technology they've been working on -- CorDECT WLL -- is "a very
cost-effctive solution if you want one or two telephones in every village in
a
taluk (sub-district). It provides telephone and Internet simultaneously. We
are installing it for small businesses."
ARUN MEHTA <[log in to unmask]> IN DELHI SUGGESTED THAT in a low-density
rural environment, where there are no phones, you have to look for wireless
connectivity. The only frequency band (in India) for which it is relatively
easy to get a license within a few months is the 2.4 GHz. Equipment is
available for the purpose, but that isn't yet cheap..." Dr Mehta also
suggested that satellite broadcasting could work out "fairly inexpensive" if
a
large number of villages all wanted this. But the problem of the "return
path"
still remained, and for this wireless is a "viable possibility".
CHINA WEB USERS TOP 22.5 MILLION, BUT GROWTH SLOWS: China says more than
22.5
million of its 1.3 billion people are now on the Internet, but industry
watchers said on growth cooled over the last six months because the keenest
users like students and young urbanites were already signed up. Future
growth
prospects remained bright, however, thanks partly to a recent drop in
telephone fees. The cuts will help make Internet use mainstream by
attracting
low-income families, analysts said. China's number of Web surfers more than
doubled in 2000 to 22.5 million from 8.9 million, the China Internet Network
Information Center (CNNIC) said.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010118/wr/tech_china_dc_2.html
RESOURCES ON INTERNET IN AFRICA: Geoffrey Williams <[log in to unmask]>
says
that probably the best resource on internet in Africa is Mike Jensen's work
at
http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa
PHONE-TO-PHONE, VIA THE NET: INTER-FONE, U.S.A. has announced the launch of
their latest phone-to-phone communication system. The Inter-Fone (IF-T-130)
card uses state-of-the-art technology to send and receive voice signals over
any TCP/IP Protocol connection on Dial up, DSL, Broadband, Cable connection
for Internet, Intranet, LAN, Lease line or V-SAT connection. This lowers
the long distance calling cost, since all the calls are made at normal
local telephone billing. URL: http://www.Inter-Fone.com
ONLINE COURSE, ICTs FOR THE THIRD WORLD: Dr Barbara Fillip
<[log in to unmask]>
is developing this course, and a tentative syllabus is posted at
http://homestead.juno.com/bfillip (click "online Course)
Barbara Fillip, is a researcher/consultant at Arlington, VA.
THE NET IN INDIA, LUXURY FOR A FEW: With a high poverty level and unequal
income distribution, web access in India is limited to the privileged few
that can afford it. Internet use in India currently stands at 0.4 percent of
the adult population, or 1.8 million people. Although the online population
is
expected to grow, the highly unequal distribution of income in India means
that only a small proportion of the population can be considered potential
Internet users. One obstacle facing the growth of India's online population
is the country's poor telecoms infrastructure. At 2.2 lines per 100
citizens,
telephone penetration in India is extremely low. Many of the lines that do
exist are not of a high enough quality to support adequate Internet
connection
speeds. [SOURCE: http://www.nua.ie/surveys]
INDIA- INTERNET USAGE DOUBLES: CT Mahabharat writes that Internet reach in
India has doubled in the last six months. From a total subscriber base of
1,022,754 in March, the number of Internet subscribers shot up to 2,045,509
in September.http://www.newsbytes.com/news/00/159407.html
KNOWNET OFFERS UPDATES relating to ICTs and knowledge networking.
The KnowNet initiative centers around using and propagating ICT models for
creating an open system for recognising, valuing, enriching and sharing of
local knowledge, in parallel with human capacity building efforts. This will
lead to a two-way process of people accessing information and knowledge for
development and also information and knowledge finding its way to the
probable users.
Some resources have already been developed and hosted on the website at
http://www.knownet.org under the KnowNet Initiative namely KnowNet Weaver
http://www.knownetweaver.org - a tool kit for creation of interactive
websites
and TechKnowNet http://www.techknownet.org - an email administered /on-line
training course for web development for layperson. Both these resources are
free and are being put to use through the help of remote KnowNet volunteers,
says Vikas Nath <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.knownet.org
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/knownet/internetinfo-news.html
Equal Access (or, = access) is a digital satellite broadcasting service
dedicated to serving the news, education, health and development needs of
poor
communities within the developing world. It will work closely with
on-the-ground development organizations to create communications campaigns
and
educational programmes. = access will provide multiple high-quality digital
radio networks and additional multimedia services. It will support
the delivery of these services to rural and urban poor communities
through the donation of community-based receivers, computers and
solar power systems. http://www.eqaccess.org Contact Kimberly
Weichel <[log in to unmask]> SOURCE: The Drum Beat Jan 15, 2001
EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS FROM INDIA: This is an Indian governmental initiative to
disseminate educational material produced by four apex Indian organisations:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National Open
School (NOS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the
Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC).
E-mail: [log in to unmask] URL http://www.ei-india.org/
PAKISTAN PLAN TO INSTALL WIRELESS LOCAL LOOP: TeleCard Ltd., has entered
into
a joint venture with Pakistan Telecommunication Ltd., to set up and install
a
wireless local loop costing $126 million. TeleCard and PTCL plan to install
125,000 wireless card payphones by the year 2004. The wireless local loop
(WLL) network will provide services to urban, semi-urban and rural areas.
It will utilise state of the art of wireless technology, which offers
numerous benefits including higher network capacity, scalability, wide area
coverage, exceptional voice quality and high- speed data communication
capabilities. [Info through [log in to unmask] mailing list/Irfan Khan]
http://www.brecorder.com/story/000007/200101/20010110/200101100665.sht
ml?Telecommunications
PERMISSION FOR SATELLITES FOR RURAL COMMUNICATIONS: Gary Garriott
<[log in to unmask]> informs that the US Federal Communications Commission has
authorized VITA to operate two low orbiting satellites that constitute the
VITAsat 'virtual constellation.' In late November 2000 the FCC granted VITA
Special Temporary Authority to operate the HealthSat-2 satellite and a
transponder on the UoSAT-12 satellite, which VITA calls VITAsat-1R and
VITAsat-2. Both satellites will be used in an innovative system to provide
communications services to isolated rural areas of Third World countries.
The
temporary authority allows VITA, in coordination with its partners Wavix
(http://www.wavix.com), SatelLife, (http://www.satellife.org), and Surrey
Satellite Technology, Ltd. ((http://www.sstl.co.uk) to begin operations
after
nearly a decade of development, experimentation, and demonstration. VITAsat
will deliver sustainable, low-cost communications and information services
for
humanitarian purposes to remote communities having no access to line-based
or
wireless telephone service. VITAsat's targeted information content and
services are designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses,
local NGOs (non-governmental organizations), educators, health workers,
researchers, administrators, agricultural extensionists, natural resources
managers and other relief and development workers. The system uses simple,
reliable, store-and-forward email messages relayed to the Internet via the
orbiting satellites and gateway stations. Advanced compression technology
and
software that allows access to web pages using email make the vast
information
resources of the web available via VITAsat anywhere in the world.
SOFTWARE FOR THE DISABLED: Prema Prabakar <[log in to unmask]> writes from
a
non-profit organisation working for the disabled. She says: "We have joined
hands with Indira Ghandhi College Trichy (South India) to develop softwares
for assisting disabled.The Computer Science department of the college and
the
principal Dr.K.Meena are assisting in this task." This was earlier announced
in the journal of the Computer Society of India, a national-level body of
professionals.
CELLULAR OPERATORS HEAR A RURAL BEEP: Reports in The Economic Times (Mumbai,
India) reports that operators across India are seeing more than 50 per cent
of
all incremental growth in cellular business coming from small towns and
rural
areas. Says the report: "And we are not talking about the now legendary
mobile-toting rich farmers atop tractors. The cellular has reached the man
on
the cycle, the fisherman and the village sarpanch in not so prosperous
villages and towns." http://www.economictimes.com/today/21tech01.htm
PAKISTAN -- UNDP PROJECT TO BOOST I.T. EDUCATION: Nadeem Hameed
<[log in to unmask]> reports that UNDP resident representative Onder Yucer
has presented a feasibility report for the Virtual Information Technology
University / South Institute of Information Technology (VITSU/SIIT).
Prepared
by the UNDP for the Government of Pakistan, the report provides a basis,
both technical and financial, to set up the VITU/SIIT at an envisaged total
cost of Rs. 1.193 billion (US $21 million).
Based on the fact that there is a severe shortage of quality IT faculty
in Pakistan, and a growing demand for large numbers of qualified IT
graduates both within and outside Pakistan, the Virtual Information
Technology University (VITU) would be expected to bring together a
critical mass of experienced faculty to provide world-class education in
the IT sector to a large student body. Student enrolment is expected to
reach 96,000 after five years.
IT TO FIGHT POVERTY: Dr.Bhausaheb Ubale <[log in to unmask]> of the
International Centre for Eradication of Poverty suggests a pilot project in
District Satara in Maharashtra State. The Centre will be divided into two
sections: (1) Computer lab. for training trainers, computer literacy
training
to students and others in villages; and also training in hardware
maintainance. (2) Information and Communication /Technologies Centre and
Community Resource Centre which will provide diverse information services in
response to community needs: public telephone and fax, government service
directories, regional employment listings, agricultural prices from brokers
in
several cities, posting crop and pest observations for the agricultural
extension agent, electronics mail for distance education radio courses,
and self-placed training, and information about appropriate technology
and its applications.
At the end Dr.Ubale requested people of Indian origin settled in the West to
donate their skills and expertise in every field. He added that "our efforts
are not charity driven; they are designed to empower poor people. It is a
fact
that a large number of people in India are caught up in the poverty trap.
Hence, it is particularly important for us (people from India settled in the
West) to recognize that we have a moral responsibility to help those whom we
have left behind and who are struggling to break the cycle of poverty".
http://www.eradicatepoverty.com
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bYtES For aLL is a voluntary, unfunded venture. CopyLeft, 2000.
bYtES For aLL volunteers team includes: Frederick in Goa, Partha in Dhaka,
Zunaira in Karachi, Zubair in Islamabad, Archana in Goa, Arun-Kumar in
Darmstatd, Shivkumar in Mumbai, Sangeeta in Nepal, Daryl in Chicago and
Gihan
in Sri Lanka. To contact them mail [log in to unmask]
TO UN / SUBSCRIBE simply send a message to [log in to unmask] with
UNSUBSCRIBE BfA or SUBSCRIBE BfA as the subject line.
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