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Alfredo TerzoliRhodes and Fort Hare Universities

Sangonet ICT4RD1-3 Nov 2011

Wanderers Club, Sandton

Sustainability?

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How to make possible real & empowering ICT deployment

in marginalized / disadvantaged areas

The puzzle

Why is it not working?

• the cost of ICT infrastructure is too high to be supported only by the resources in marginalized areas.

• the applications that are relevant in this context are just a handful and rarely move beyond the proof of concept

• the expertise of standard ICT solution providers is at best inadequate

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UFH

RU

Telkom CoEs

SiyakhulaLiving Lab

Siyakhula Living LabManagement Unit

Reed House Systems(software house)

1997

1997

2005

2009

2010

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What is needed?

• something that reverses the classic telco equation: the resources to support the local infrastructure have to come from the outside, rather then from the inside

• a way to maximize the utilization of any ICT infrastructure

• real, well organized software production centres, with good current software engineering practices, as well as specialized ICT solutions providers

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• A broadband island that connects as many Points of Presence as possible (Digital Access Nodes, DANs)

• DANs located in schools but open to the community and running non proprietary, open source software

• Low cost, thin-client infrastructure (as server a cluster of ‘refurbished’ computers)

• Broadband island connected to the Internet by whatever means possible

• And the cellphones? Great but...

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Connectivity blueprint

• Applications?• Software production Centre?• ICT solution provider?

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• Moves software production in ICT4D to an industrial standard, in terms of architecture and quality

• Builds a reference implementation for practitioners in ICT4D, through which is possible to reverse the ‘telco equation’

• Creates an entrepreneurial space within ICT4D10

Putting it together

• How can this work and solve the puzzle? (The business model, in other terms)

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The business model

1. An entity (possibly a consortium) sets up a broadband island, complete with TeleWeaver.

2. The entity activates pre-set contracts with other public and private entities for them to access the users of the broadband island. Also, the entity collects revenues from users, if smaller.

3. Over time, and with the increase of these contracts and the associated applications, as well as the increase of money available locally, the installation transforms from a cost to a revenue centre.

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Alfredo TerzoliRhodes and Fort Hare Universities

Sangonet ICT4RD Conference1-3 Nov 2011

Wanderers Club, Sandton

Sustainability?

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e-commerce to support art and craft

a point of presence is used for training

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