Michael.Minges@itu.int

IP Connectivity in LDCs ITU, Geneva, April 11-12, 2002

Index

• The L factor

• What is ?

• 3 snapshots:– Wireless wonder: Cambodia – Guns for radios: Niger– Small is beautiful: Cape Verde

• Conclusions

The L factor

• LDC—Least Developed Nations face special barriers • Lack of infrastructure—shortage of electricity, telephone lines

and PCs to access the Internet• Low income—low incomes means that Internet access will not

be affordable • Landlocked—raises costs of international Internet connectivity• Literacy—relatively low rates of literacy is a barrier to using a

text-based medium such as the Internet• Languages—in many LDCs, Internet content in local languages

is not widely available• Larur—LDCs are predominantly rural and agricultural impacting

both distribution and relevance of Internet information

Major impediment to conventional Internet access in LDCs

• Mass media: medium of communication

(newspapers, radio, television, Internet) aimed at large numbers of people

• Mixed media: combining various communication media to enhance the dissemination of information

• Mixed media is an attractive way of spreading benefits of Internet in least developed countries

Media-mixes are more effective than a single medium—Neil McKee

Media in LDCs

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Radio TV Telephone Newspaper Internet

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16Million sets/subscribers/readers (left scale)Per 100 inhabitants (right scale)

“The radio will probably do more to bring information, education and social progress to … the developing world than any other device for a generation.”

— The Times of London, 10 August 1995

Source: ITU.

Rural and community

radio in Africa

currently reach a far

wider audience than the Internet or television. Photo: FAO /

S.Oumar               

Mixed Media in Action

Internet contentdownloaded to radiostation

Internet informationbroadcast over radio in local languages

Cellphone with radio

Content providerscall radio station with information

Cambodia

• 11.4 million population

• GNP per capita US$ 260

• 84% rural, 82% of population and 50% economy in agriculture

• Main language Khmer (95%), 65% literacy

Cambodia Internet

• Full connection in May 1997

• 6 Mbps in, 3.5 Mbps out of international connectivity (all satellite)

• ~ 8’000 users (June 2001), 0.07% population

Wireless wonder

• First nation where more mobiles than fixed

• Mobile used to transmit pricing information in city markets

• TMS2Mail and WEM• Wireless broadband

Fixed14%

Distribution of telephone subscribers in Cambodia

December 2000Total=161'427

Mobile 81%

WirelessLocal

Loop 5%

Niger

• One of world’s poorest nations: GNI per capita US$180, 161/162 HDI

• Landlocked

• 79% rural; Agriculture: 39% of economy

• 84% illiteracy

• 20 languages in useSource: World Bank, Ethnologue

Niger Internet

• Full connection to Internet in May 1997 via VSAT

• 128 kbps international bandwidth

• Nationwide dial-up number

• ~12’000 users (0.1% of population)

Bankilare, Niger

The Bankilare Community Information Center was built in 1999 by community members with help from the Niger government, UNDP & SNV (Netherlands Agency). It houses a community radio station equipped with a WorldSpace receiver. The encircled object is a WorldSpace antenna enclosed in tea box for protection.

Radio broadcaster in the Bankilare Community Information Center. The center downloads programming from the Africa Learning Channel for rebroadcast. The CIC often translates the programs into the local language before rebroadcasting them.

Freeplay stories

Rwanda

South AfricaSouth Africa

MalawiMalawi

Small is beautiful?

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

0.010.1110100

Population (millions)

Internet users per 100

inhabitants

Internet & Population in LDCsInternet & Population in LDCs

Higher Internet penetration

Smallerpopulation

Cape Verde

• 4th highest Internet penetration in LDCs (3% of population)

• 434’812 population (2000 Census)

• 55% homes have electricity

• 53% urban, agriculture 12% of GDP

• 2 languages, 74% literacy

Internet in Cape Verde

• Pre-commercial launch: October 1996, commercial launch a year later

• 1 Mbps international Internet connectivity

• ~ 12’000 users (2.8% population)

Conclusions

• Because of income, literacy and linguistic issues, mixed-media may be a more effective way of disseminating information on the Internet to LDCs

• More small-scale, grass-roots, community-based projects are needed in LDCs

• There appears to be relationship between the size of a nation and the level of Internet access suggesting that moves to decentralize in larger nations may yield higher rates of ICT use

• What about Internet radio?

References• Bruce Girard. The Challenges of ICTs and Rural Radio.

<www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6721e/x6721e16.htm#P5_1>

• The Bankilare Experience: An Example of a Successful Collaborative Effort to Bridge the Digital Divide. <www.worldspace.org/related.html>

• Andrew W. Shepherd. Farm Radio as a Medium for Market Information Dissemination. <www.fao.org/sd/2001/radio/papers.htm>

• ITU. Cambodia, Cape Verde Internet Case Studies. <www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/cs>