Role of Wireless Technologies in ICT4D

When we try to apply Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the complex development process, one main challenge we face is the development of the necessary ICT infrastructure, especially in remote areas. Most of the ICT for Development (ICT4D) initiatives face the issue of sustainability due to the high cost of "last-mile connections".

As an example the Nenasala (Telecentre) initiative implemented under the e-Sri Lanka, ICT4D master plan in the country is facing many challenges of sustainability due to the connectivity cost as high as 30,000 LKR per month (for expensive wireless satellite connection). Newly introduced wireless last mile technologies such as Wi-MAX and HSPA can provide the same connectivity for a cost as low as 4,000 LKR. Dialog Broadband extended it services by providing low cost Wi-MAX wireless connections to some selected Nenasalas in different parts of the country.

When compared with wired connections, wireless is cheaper to implement and maintain specially in remote areas. So developing countries like Sri Lanka can get benefits of new wireless technologies and that would trickle down to all the citizens of the country. The fact that setting up wireless systems is so cheap has meant that its use has grown exponentially. As a result of this many have pinned their hopes on the wireless delivery of voice and data across Asia and other remote locations worldwide.

Mobiles Phones per 100 People in Sri Lanka (Source: TRC)

Wireless technologies play an important role in extending access to voice and data communications services to marginalized groups in society, especially remote areas in the country. The present rates of growth and levels of connectivity could not have been achieved without wireless in the access networks, for mobile as well as for fixed, and in the backbone networks. As per the World Information Technology Report, Sri Lanka has been positioned at the 66th place in the Network Readiness Index.

It is our hope that wireless technologies will continue to support uplifting Sri Lanka’s network infrastructure and allow people in the country to really reap the benefit of ICT and make national initiatives like e-Sri Lanka a successes.

Sameera.

OLPC Sri Lanka

One Laptop Per Child in Sri Lanka

OLPC has become a hot topic, olpc initiatives are under way around the globe. It is always good to see what this OLPC is and what are the benifits Sri Lanka can gain, basically how it can be used for sutainable development.

Following are some thoughts about the OLPC, positive and negative, without going for radical "YES" or "NO".


Some positive aspects;

• Can reach five children with OLPC when we reach one child with normal PC.
• Inbuilt Wi-Fi mesh network capability is ideal for an eVillage.
• Minimal power consumption (<2w)>
• Rugged encasement and rubber sealed keyboard make OLPC resistant to water, dirt and hardy use by kids.
• Can be used for peer learning within a homogeneous children’s group in a village or a children’s home, etc.
• Good teaching and learning assistant
  

Some negative aspects;

• Specifically designed for kids, so have to target only that age group (normal PC for everyone)
• Cost of ownership is higher, initiatives like Nanasala tries to reduce the cost of ownership by promoting common/shared access.
• Does not promote the sharing of resources
• Does Sri Lankan every child need a his/her own laptop, can our economy bare it?

Sameera.

(500 - X)th Telecentre Launch (Nanasala)

"One of ICTA’s top priorities includes completing the 1000-strong Nenasala network along with the support of the Presidential Secretariat." - ICTA


The Telecentre (Nanasala) is a very good way of taking the dividends of ICT to rural poor to bridge the digital chasm. We all should appreciate the efforts put in by ICTA to make it happen.

~BUT~

Have we achieved the expected results? How many of them are operating right now? That is why I called it 500 minus Xth launch instead of 500th launch. This is the high time ICTA should look back to see where things went wrong.

We are still in the process of learning "how best we can use ICT in the process of development", so we are not too late to get our self corrected. Let's make use the lessons we learnt and try do something more productive than running behind numbers.

Then, end of the day we will be able to achieve the ultimate objective the “knowledge society”.

Sameera.

With or Without Wires

Moving from wired technologies to wireless is happening all around the world. Wired and wireless technologies have their own pros can cones. Why people are moving towards wireless, what are the benifit of wireless technologies to third world countries or so called developing countries like Sri Lanka.

The recent examples are introducation of CDMA phones, WiMAX, etc. in Sri Lanka. People realised the difference. Those are less costly, why? The maintenance of a wireless network is comparatively less costly for the ISPs, so that benifit come to end user, they can pay less. But quality? the quality of a wireless connection may not match the quality of a wired connection all the time., but we pay less, so get less. In the future hope wireless may match the wired.

So let's use appropriate technology.

Man Behind The Success

Information and Communication Technology is penetrating all the civil societies today. People have got benefited through it, so they have realized the value of it. This is the reality from the bottom to the top of the society, that is why we see new concepts like Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) even at the policy level.

This is not something came-up in a day; it a result of continues efforts put together by so many people who wanted to see the Sri Lankan ICT industry where we are today. One key character who put tireless efforts during last few decades and made a tremendous service to the ICT industry and to the whole nation is Vidya Jyothi Professor V.K. Samaranayake.

According to a recent survey, the IT workforce grew by nearly 10,000 in the two years from 2004 and the projected demand shows an increasing trend with a total of 7,672 IT vacancies expected in 2007 alone. Maestro V.K. Samaranayake had realized this potential well advance and took measures to cater the future demand by forming institutes like University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) and initiating programmes like Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT).

The Government of Sri Lanka has honoured Prof. Samaranayake for his contribution towards ICT by the award of “Vidya Prasadini” in 1997 and the national honour “Vidya Jothi” in 1998.

Sameera Wijerathna

ICT4D in Sri Lanka

Hi friends

Let's make this, another platform to discuss how we can best use the Information and Communication Technology for the Development of Sri Lanka. Specially, how we can use ICT as a catalyst in the process of development.

May be we can discuss the pros and cons of existing ICT initiatives, Technologies, Tools in Sri Lanka or even new ways of using it.

Sameera.