"A decade ago, mobile phone usage in Afghanistan was almost nonexistent; now there are 13 million subscriptions for a total of 29 million citizens, and the annual growth rate of subscription is estimated at 53 percent. A number of factors have fueled this dramatic increase, including the sheer popul
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ar demand for communication, an absence of viable landline substitutes, government deregulation, and a competitive market that flourishes despite the conflict. Each of the major telecommunications companies in Afghanistan identifies the same five challenges to future expansion: poverty, high illiteracy rates, corruption, an untrained workforce, and lack of security. Despite these challenges, Afghanistan has proved an exceptional case study in the use of mobile phones for social change in support of peacebuilding, as it has been the focus of numerous pilot application programs conducted by the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector. Mobile money transfer (MMT) applications have proved to be powerful mechanisms for helping to reduce corruption, foster security sector reform, and promote economic development. Yet neither the international community nor the Afghan government has shown the will or the capacity to move MMT programs forward at a pace commensurate with their demonstrated potential. At least two other high-value mobile applications were cited during the June summit as having improved conditions for stability and reconstruction in early deployments: (1) the provision of market information through mobile phones, especially in the agricultural sector, and (2) the use of mobile phones to strengthen local governance and civil society. Both applications have sufficient promise to warrant large-scale rollouts and merit careful consideration by international donors, whose support is vital during the transition to sustainability." (Summary)
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"The Handbook presents a comprehensive, integrative, and global view of what has been called the digital divide. Collecting an international collaboration of experts, this Handbook of Research offers policy makers, academicians, managers, and researchers a complete reference source to the interactio
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ns, evolutions, and policies developing within the field. The many academic areas covered in this publication include, but are not limited to: broadband access; digital divide framing and mapping; digital divide related to education; digital divide related to ethnicity; digital divide related to gender; digital literacy; e-government and the digital divide; evolution of the digital divide; inequalities of digital skills; regional differences in digital divide." (Publisher description)
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"The Information Economy Report 2010 focuses on the nexus of ICTs, enterprises and poverty alleviation. Whereas the knowledge base needs to grow considerably, the evidence presented in this Report suggests that more attention should be given by policymakers and other stakeholders to this new set of
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opportunities. The Report is organized into fi ve chapters. Chapter I introduces a c onceptual framework for the analysis that follows. Chapter II reviews recent connectivity and affordability trends to gauge the degree of access and uptake of different ICTs among the poor. Chapter III turns to the role of the poor in the production of ICT goods and services (the ICT sector). In chapter IV, the focus shifts to the use of ICT by enterprises, with emphasis on those that matter most for poor people, namely small and micro-enterprises in urban and rural areas. Finally, chapter V presents the main policy implications from the analysis." (Executive summary, page X)
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"Broadband for Africa focuses on one part of the broadband policy jigsaw puzzle—backbone networks. These are the high-capacity communications networks that form the heart of the internet. This book addresses three specific questions: What role do backbone networks play in the provision of broadban
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d services? What is the current state of backbone network development in Africa and the reasons for this? What can be done to promote the development of backbone networks? This volume places backbone networks in the overall context of broadband policy in Africa. It outlines their importance and provides a policy framework for accelerating their development." (Back cover)
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"Increasing overall service coverage and promoting access to telecommunications services is economically beneficial. However, universal access policies for rural and low-income areas have not sufficiently evolved with the latest technolo gy and market trends. This study reviews and evaluates the wid
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e range of instruments available to policy makers and regulators and identifies those most likely to increase access. We also argue that establishing a conducive legal, regulatory, and institutional framework can enhance the effectiveness of the identified instruments. While no single instrument can provide a full solution to universal access, we conclude that a mix of measures can achieve specific policy objectives in a particular country environment." (Back cover)
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"In the developing world, mobile phones have revolutionised telecommunication and have reached an estimated average 49.5 per cent penetration rate at the end of 2008 – from close to zero only ten years ago. This is not only faster than any other technology in the past, but the mobile phone is also
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the single most widespread ICT today, states the first section of this report. Then, it introduces the new ICT Development Index (IDI), aimed at capturing the level of advancement of ICTs in more than 150 countries worldwide. The Index also measures the global digital divide and examines how it has developed during the five-year period from 2002 to 2007. The results suggest that globally the digital divide is as prevalent as before, but is slightly closing between countries with very high and low ICT levels. In combining prices for fixed and mobile telephony, and broadband internet access, a new ICT Price Basket provides for the first time a measurement tool for assessing ICT affordability globally. It compares prices among countries for using the three technologies in US$ values, in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) values, and as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI). The results reveal that while fixed telephone tariffs are relatively cheap in most countries, tariffs for broadband internet access are often prohibitive and thus a major impediment for less developed countries." (CAMECO Update 1-2010)
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"In Ihren Händen halten Sie die zweite Auflage unserer Publikation „Auslandsmärkte als Chance“. Als wir vor gut zwei Jahren die erste Ausgabe veröffentlichten, florierte die Weltwirtschaft und mit ihr die IT- und Telekommunikationsmärkte. Wer hätte damals gedacht, dass wir im Jahr 2009 die
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schlimmste Wirtschaftskrise der jüngeren Geschichte erleben würden? Inzwischen zeigen glücklicherweise fast alle Wirtschaftsindikatoren wieder nach oben. Gleichwohl werden viele Länder – Deutschland eingeschlossen – einige Jahre brauchen, bis sie das Vorkrisenniveau erreichen. Die Informations- und Kommunikationswirtschaft ist mit vergleichsweise geringen Einbußen durch die Krise gekommen. Es gab zwar herbe Umsatzeinbrüche in einigen Marktsegmenten, daneben aber auch einzelne Bereiche mit anhaltendem Wachstum. Jetzt geht es darum, die sich im Zuge der wirtschaftlichen Erholung bietenden Chancen mit Mut und Kreativität zu nutzen. Ganz wesentlich ist dabei, nicht nur in rein nationalen Kategorien zu denken. Hochtechnologien „made in Germany“ können von dem erwarteten Aufschwung der Weltwirtschaft überproportional profitieren. Das gilt auch und gerade für Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien. Dem interessierten Leser ein Leitfaden, dem Unternehmer eine wertvolle Orientierungshilfe – das ist der Anspruch dieser Broschüre. Transparenz, Kontakte und verläßliche Information sind die Zutaten für ein erfolgreiches Auslandsgeschäft. Diese Publikation möchte dazu einen Beitrag leisten." (Vorwort)
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"This report highlights the latest ICT developments in the region and includes key statistical information for every country. It features a regional analysis of the ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009. The report point
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s to key policy issues in the region and provides concrete recommendations for policy makers." (Foreword)
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"Based on the above preliminary research on the current status of the digital divide, latest and emerging technologies, and ICT for development initiatives in Asia and the Pacific, this report concludes that the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS still face numerous difficulties in terms of implementation of ICT
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initiatives, introducing ICT access and assessing the ICT access need of people in the region. This report then recommends holistic and comprehensive ICT implementation approaches among the developing countries of Asia and the Pacific, namely 1) reinforcing regional cooperation initiatives, 2) adopting appropriate technologies and maximizing the benefits of existing infrastructure and initiatives, and 3) raising public awareness." (Conclusion, page 26)
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"The biennial Digital Review of Asia Pacific is a comprehensive guide to the state-of-practice and trends in information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) in Asia Pacific. This fourth edition (2009-2010) features 30 economies and four subregional groupings. The chapters provide u
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pdated information on ICT infrastructure, industries, content and services, key initiatives, enabling policies, regulation, education and capacity building, open source and R&D initiatives, as well as key ICTD challenges in each of the economies covered." (Publisher description)
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