"Conducted in 2009 by a group of five Masters in New Media (humanities) students from the University of Amsterdam under the supervision of Geert Lovink the research examines both the role and implementation of ICTs in Uganda, covering a wide range of subcultures and projects, including internet cafe
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usage, print media, NGOs and communities, software subcultures and civic new media. The book argues that now is the time to look beyond the technology layer and instead focus on the social implications and local consequences of digital media’s widespread use. By recognizing the impact that ICTs have on society and identifying what functions currently and what needs to be improved, we can more effectively understand and develop these technologies in the future." (Back cover)
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"The year 2010 marks the midpoint between the Tunis phase of WSIS (2005) and the deadline for achieving the WSIS targets (2015), in line with the target date of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report presents a mid-term review of the progress mad
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e towards achieving the ten WSIS targets. The overall objective of the report is to provide policy-makers with a comprehensive assessment of the WSIS targets to date and, based on the findings, make suggestions on the types of policy measures required to meet them. The report also highlights the need for formal monitoring of progress towards achieving the WSIS targets. Currently, there are no agreed indicators for the targets which countries could use for monitoring purposes." (Executive summary, page xxi)
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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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"What is clear from the Research ICT Africa (RIA) Household and Individual Access and Usage Survey is that the diffusion of ICT is highly uneven concentrating in urban areas and leaving some rural areas almost untouched. Access to these technologies is constrained by income as is usage, and as they
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become more complex, they are increasingly constrained by literacy and education. This analysis explores the inequities of access and usage further, by viewing them through a gender lens. Of the limited demand-side data on Africa that exists, very little is disaggregated on gender lines. This study provides a descriptive statistical overview of access to ICTs by women and men and their usage of them. This is supported by focus groups that were undertaken in five of the 17 countries surveyed in East, Central, South and West Africa. The survey reveals some surprising instances where more women than men own mobile phones, such as in South Africa and Mozambique, or where women have greater knowledge of the Internet such as in Cameroon. More generally however, the study confirms the differences in access by men and women to ICTs especially where they depend on public access." (Executive summary)
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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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"This report presents a review of empirical research on the impacts of public access to ICTs in order to document what is known about this approach to ICT service delivery. The results show that there is limited conclusive evidence on downstream impacts of public access to ICTs. The evidence that do
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es exist suggests that the public access ICT model is not living up to the expectations placed on it. This is not necessarily because public access has had no impacts, but because its impact is particularly difficult to identify and measure. As a model, public access to ICTs has experienced success and failure, leading to both reinforcement of the belief that the model should be expanded and strengthened; as well as claims that public access ICTs are ultimately ineffective or even counter-productive from the development perspective. Four main types of evidence are identified: evidence on venue performance and sustainability, users, usage patterns and downstream impacts. Assessment of this evidence indicates that trends are most apparent in the first three areas, while evidence of downstream impacts remains elusive. Most studies show that sustainability is a critical challenge especially in low resource, low income environments where commercial services are not viable. They also show that users are primarily young males with relatively high socio-economic statusand prior access to the Internet. Users tend to engage in social and personal activities as opposed to economic activities, for example. Findings on downstream impacts fall on both sides of the equation, some studies conclude that impacts are high in a variety of areas, development of ICT skills, job creation, civic engagement etc; others find limited impacts." (Abstract)
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"This report analyzes the benefits of extending access to ICT in the developing world; of mainstreaming ICT applications, particularly in the area of e-government; and of trading services based on information technology. It also features at-a-glance tables for 150 economies of the latest available d
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ata on ICT sector indicators. Country ICT performance measures for access, affordability, and applications in government and business are also introduced, so that policy makers can assess their countries’ ICT capacities relative to those of other countries." (Foreword)
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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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"Les radios demeurent le médium de communication le plus approprié à la communication sociale et à la communication de développement en Afrique. Dans cette étude, il s’agissait de faire l’état des lieux de la connectivité des radios ouest-africaines aux TIC (internet, satellite, ordinate
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ur, outils de stockage numérique, etc.), d’analyser les usages mis en oeuvre, d’identifier les contraintes, opportunités, et de faire des recommandations aux différents acteurs. L’étude est principalement axée sur sept pays cibles (Ghana, Bénin, Sénégal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Niger) et concerne toutes les radios (communautaires, commerciales, confessionnelles et religieuses). Deux cent vingt (220) radios ont été enquêtées." (Résumé, page 8)
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"This paper discusses the notions of demand, poverty, information needs, and information and communication technologies (ICTs) to offer a concept of digital poverty, which may be useful to estimate the digital poverty level in Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper is composed of two sections. T
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he first section contains a conceptual discussion of digital poverty, its types and possible levels, and the underlying economic foundations. ICTs are defined based on their use and the conditions for such use. Digital poverty is therefore defined as a lack of ICTs and might be a feature of any population segment, whether or not economically poor. The second section of this paper is an empirical attempt to validate the classification, using data from a household survey (ENAHO) carried out in Peru. The limitations in measuring digital poverty at the household level instead of at the individual level are acknowledged. Lastly, the conclusions reached, possible implications for public policy, and the avenues open for further research are presented." (Abstract)
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"The second edition of the World Information Society Report, published by ITU and UNCTAD, looks beyond the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Geneva 2003 - Tunis 2005) to the creation of an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented Information Society, open to all. The report tr
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acks progress in digital opportunity for 181 economies over the past few years since the start of the WSIS process and is accompanied by a series of tables providing the latest statistics on the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide. The report has been created by the “Digital Opportunity Platform”, an open multi-stakeholder platform with contributions from governments, private sector, academics and civil society, as well as inter-governmental organisations." (Back cover)
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"This toolkit is a resource for community members who want to advance digital inclusion in their city, town, or county that is exploring a broadband/ high-speed Internet initiative. Municipalities are considering many different technologies to increase broadband access - from wireless to fiber - and
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business models ranging from city-owned projects to public-private partnerships. This toolkit groups all of these variations under the common heading of “municipal broadband” to keep the issue of digital inclusion at the center of attention." (How to use this toolkit)
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