The Drum Beat 416 - Telecentres

from The Communication Initiative...global forces...local choices...critical voices...telling stories...
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Telecentres have garnered the attention of the communication for development field on a number of fronts, including: their potential to foster digital inclusion; the "how-to's" of creating them and of scaling up successful models; the economics of public and/or private telecentre projects as a factor of sustainability; the role of content and services in attracting clients (as well as social implications of who those clients are); and the aggregating of knowledge on telecentres. Beginning with a definition and some statistical context, this issue of The Drum Beat delves into a growing body of literature related to telecentres and their role in development.

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ICT Policies and Studies
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DEFINITION and CONTEXT

1.Telecentre: A Definition
telecentre.org's definition of "telecentre" is: "... a public place where people can access computers, the Internet, and other technologies that help them gather information and communicate with others at the same time as they develop digital skills. Telecentres... sometimes go by different names - village knowledge centres, infocentres, community technology centres, community multimedia centres, information kiosks, or school-based telecentres. There's no one single model for creating a telecentre - they are as diverse as the communities they serve. Some are stand-alone, nonprofit institutions. Others have integrated community access to computers and the Internet into public facilities, such as schools, libraries, municipal buildings, and social service agencies. Still others have encouraged and supported small-scale entrepreneurs to set up independent computer kiosks in rural areas."
Retrieved October 25 2007

2.Regional Patterns in Telecentre Use: International Telecommunications Union
These statistics, which illustrate the increase in telephone traffic and computer and internet usage in various telecentre contexts and regions around the world, were collected as recently as 2004:

• In 2006, the developed world had 6 times the internet user penetration rate of the developing world. Statistics show that the divide narrowed from 73 times more penetration 12 years earlier.
• In 2004 in the Americas region: North America had 62 people per 100 internet penetration, Central America had 12 people per 100, South American had 11 per 100, and the Caribbean had 10 per 100.
• Europe had varied internet penetration: 73 percent in Baltic states, 38 percent in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and 13 percent in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (no designated date for this information).

Retrieved October 25 2007

3.Global Telecentre Trends: International Telecommunications Union
Worldwide, in the decade 1996 - 2006:

• Internet users increased from 74 people per million to 1,131 people per million and personal computer ownership from 275 people per million to more than 808 people per million;
• Mobile cellular telephone subscribers increased from 145 million in 1996 to 2,685 million in 2006; and
• Main or fixed telephone landlines increased from 738 million in 1994 to 1,207 in 2004.

Retrieved October 25 2007

ADDRESSING DIGITAL INCLUSION IN CONCEPT AND IN PRACTICE

4. Digital Inclusion Projects in Developing Countries: Processes of Institutionalisation
by Shirin Madon, Nicolau Reinhard, Dewald Roode, and Geoff Walsham
Presented at the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, this document focuses on processes of institutionalisation of digital inclusion projects. Three case studies - the Akshaya, India, telecentre project; a community-based information and communication technology (ICT) project in rural Siyabuswa, South Africa; and telecentre projects in Sao Paulo, Brazil - are described and analysed according to a theoretical schema derived from institutional theory. The schema uses 4 key processes of institutionalisation: getting symbolic acceptance by the community; stimulating valuable social activity in relevant social groups; generating linkage to viable revenue streams; and enrolling government support.

5.A Rural-Urban Digital Divide? Regional Aspects Of Internet Use In Tanzania
by Bjorn Furuholt and Stein Kristiansen
Presented at the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, this document looks at the digital divide within Tanzania. Based on a survey among Tanzanian internet cafe users in rural, semi-urban, and central regions of the country, the authors find that the divide is mainly due to the difficulty of finding venues with technology to access the internet. The internet users and usage at the different sites are more uniform than anticipated - with, however, a few significant differences, including age of clients, gender, and user purchasing power as a function of frequency of cafe use.

6.Rits/Sampa.org: Internet Access and Effective Use by Third-Sector Organizations in Brazil
by Simon Batchelor, Soc Evangelista, Simon Hearn, Malcolm Peirce, Susan Sugden, and Mike Webb
This case study focuses on the Rits/Sampa.org cooperative association in Brazil, which was developed in order to facilitate greater access to the internet and digital services for the economically poor, via Sampa.org's network of telecentres throughout Sao Paulo. One finding was that by combining the community centres with the telecentres, a greater degree of integration and impact on individuals and families occurred.

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CREATING AND SCALING UP TELECENTRES

7.Background Paper on Service Delivery Models by Existing E-Governance and ICT4D Projects in India & Their Relevance, Integration with the CSC Scheme of the Govt. of India
by Chetan Sharma
This report examines whether the development of telecentres is a replicable, catalytic strategy for development in India's economically poor, rural areas. Author Chetan Sharma here evaluates a particular approach to ICT for development (ICT4D): the creation of rural telecentres by the government of India. The paper also provides a snapshot of existing initiatives, assessing their successes and failures, and extracting lessons learned from these experiences.

8.Creating a Participatory Telecenter Enterprise
by Raul Roman and Royal Colle
In this paper, the authors explore 2 interrelated issues, participation and intercultural communication, as attempts to overcome some of the obstacles to access to technology in economically poor areas of India. They use as examples both the viability of intermediaries to assist women's self help groups (SHGs) in the use of ICTs and also consultative participatory research for helping to overcome obstacles to telecentre access by involving villagers in the planning and implementation of a telecentre initiative.

9.Making the Connection: Scaling Telecenters for Development
by Barbara Fillip and Dennis Foote
"This book identifies and discusses the...pressing issues facing the global telecenter movement, presents a condensed view of the current state of knowledge with regard to telecenters, and highlights possible paths forward." The primary goal of this book is to help people move forward in establishing successful telecentres and to guide the growth of the telecentre movement.

10.How To Get Started and Keep Going: A Guide to Community Multimedia Centres
Written by practitioners and researchers working on CMCs (community multimedia centres) or ICT4D, this book is meant to be a practical tool designed for those involved in CMCs or other models of community media (information centres, multipurpose telecentres, community learning centres, etc.). It may be of particular use to those wanting to start a CMC or a related information centre, as it covers a range of topics linked to community broadcasting and telecentre management.

See Also:

11.Ten Steps for Establishing a Sustainable Multipurpose Community Telecentre

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POLL: Capacities of New Technologies?

STATEMENT: The capacities of the new technologies make them effective for helping achieve development goals.

CHOICES:

• Yes - for example: peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and dialogue
• Maybe - global connections help but local action is most important
• No - technologies still require people to make them work

VOTE by clicking here.

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CONTENT, SERVICES, AND CLIENTS

12.Content Divide: New Challenge for Rural ICT Initiatives
by Shahid Uddin Akbar
This article focuses on the importance of content that clients can receive through the services of a rural telecentre, and the current issues that are limiting locally applicable and accessible content. According to the author, clients of ICT telecentres: "...care about the cost of access, whether they can get technical advice on how to connect to and use the Internet, whether the Internet is secure and reliable, and whether there is useful Internet content and services in their native language."

13.Girls' Net - South Africa
Girls' Net (GN) is a youth-driven multimedia programme that is designed to get South African girls actively involved with technology for their development. Centred around an interactive web space created for girls and by girls, the project also draws on face-to-face exchanges (technical training camps and provincial technology clubs) in an effort to support girls in becoming active participants in the information society. Organisers then facilitate girls' access to telecentres and community centres where they can engage with technology on an ongoing basis.
Contact Lerato Legoabe lerato@womensnet.org.za

14.The Value of Extended Networks: Information and Communication Technology Intervention in Rural Peru
by Antonio Dmaz Andrade and Cathy Urquhart
Presented at the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, this document discusses the case of an ICT intervention in a remote village located in the northern Peruvian Andes. Based on an analysis of the stories of 2 villagers, "the paper illustrates how the ICT intervention enabled a few people to gain or reinforce ascendancy in their village. The paper then discusses implications from the actual and potential consequences of ICT intervention in rural areas in developing countries."

15.ICT Learning: Is It More Valuable for the Young?
by Savithri Subramanian
This article describes findings of research on the use of ICT learning centres in rural areas of India to foster women's development. Small telecentres set up in the houses of women in the villages by TANUVAS (an agricultural and veterinary sciences university) draw upon the existing networks of self-help groups (SHGs) to create access for women, but it is the young boys and girls of the community who more often access the centres. The article explores some of the socio-cultural factors that may be contributing to this trend.

See Also:

16.E-Chutney Project - Fiji

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POLL: Mobile Telephone/PDA Trends as Predictors?

QUESTION: Are trends in the use of mobile telephones/personal data assistants (PDAs) predictors of economic growth?

CHOICES:

• Absolutely - the more phones/PDAs the greater wealth creation
• Not sure - no hard data
• No effect - they are just another communication tool

VOTE by clicking here.

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TELECENTRE ECONOMICS: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

17.Initial Lessons Learned About Private Sector Participation in Telecentre Development: A Guide for Policy Makers in Developing Appropriate Regulatory Frameworks
"Telecentres have become a popular and often effective approach to telecommunications development and achieving universal access/service. They can also play a significant role in poverty reduction, ranging from job creation to providing ICT skills. Nevertheless, telecentres have also suffered from sustainability problems and from dependence on donors. As this study will demonstrate, increased private sector investment is critical for telecentre sustainability and growth."

18.Telecenters and Community Resource and Information Centers in Pakistan
by Salman Ansari
Written for the World Bank, this document is a study of telecentres in Pakistan and in different parts of the world, especially India and Sri Lanka, as context for analysis of Pakistan's telecentre development direction. In attempting to support the establishment of telecentres, the document offers spreadsheets for business models and makes a case for the use of free and open-source software (FOSS).

19.Rethinking Telecentre Sustainability: How to Implement A Social Enterprise Approach
Lessons from India and Africa
by Meddie Mayanja
This article examines telecentre sustainability using experiences from India and Africa to review 3 telecentre sustainability models. The author's premise is that combining financial and social sustainability of telecentres remains a key challenge. The author analyses the strengths and weaknesses of each of 2 current approaches and then makes an argument for a new approach - one that will ensure financial sustainability and high social capital leading to expanding community usage.

20.Telecenter Sustainability: Myths and Opportunities
by Francisco J. Proenza
This chapter from the book "Bridging the Rural Knowledge Gap: Information Systems for Improved Livelihoods" examines financial sustainability issues involved in telecentre management. Sustainability, according to the author, is multi-faceted, a statement he supports with structural and cost data from telecentres in 3 countries. These facets include: the region's communications and technology infrastructure, the governance structure of the individual telecentre, and the regulatory climate.

21.ICT for Development and Commerce: A Case Study of Internet Cafes in India
by Nimmi Rangaswamy
This report includes preliminary findings from an ongoing ethnographic study of 10 urban and peri-urban internet cafes in Mumbai, Surat, and Alibag, India, and 12 internet kiosks in rural western India, in order to raise debate about whether the conceptualisation and discourse of ICT for development is placing it at odds with commercial ICT development, and whether national digital inclusion and development initiatives can engage with "market impulses", as commercial internet access points become "important nodes for entrenching...technologies."

AGGREGATING KNOWLEDGE OF TELECENTRES

22.An Attempt to Socialize the Telelac Experiment Telecenter Network for Latin America and the Caribbean: Sharing Lessons Learned by Telecenters and Enhancing Their Efforts on Behalf of Civil Society
by Karin Delgadillo Poepsel
This personal reflection on the earliest stages of the Telelac project is written in order to record a project profile. Along with the Chasquinet experiment, the Telelac project focuses on the creation of telecentres from strategic, participatory, and evaluative perspectives. The author expresses collective principles, collective learning, and collective questioning of the use of internet technology as a communication tool for development.

23.Telecentre Knowledge Network Wiki
This editable and evolving reference wiki (a resource to which any user may contribute new material as well as edit what is posted - in this case, registration is necessary in order to engage in editing) focuses on building and sustaining telecentres. This wiki discusses issues facing the global telecentre movement, presents a condensed view of the knowledge about telecentres, and offers activists a place to share the knowledge and wisdom that comes from running telecentres.

24.Evaluation of UNESCO's Community Multimedia Centres
by Heather Creech
This independent evaluation examines the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Community Multimedia Centre (CMC) initiative, which was conceptualised as a potential solution to mitigate the digital divide in marginalised communities around the world and promote sustainable local development through community-based facilities that combine traditional media like radio, television, and print with new ICTs such as computers, the internet, and mobile devices. To highlight what is characterised as the initiative's main achievement: "The CMCs are accepted by and fully integrated into the communities and can in many cases be sustained beyond the pilot phase without core operating grants."

25.Telecenter Evaluation: A Global Perspective
by Ricardo Gomez and Patrik Hunt (eds.)
This is a report on the results of an international meeting on telecentre evaluation organised by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in September of 1999 for a network of telecentre practitioners and researchers. It focuses on the increasing access to telecentres, the resulting wealth of experiences and lessons, and the need for assessment and evaluation tools. The paper reports on efforts to establish common language and understanding of the key issues surrounding telecentre evaluation, as well as to develop some practical evaluation tools.

See Also:

26.Community Multimedia Centres

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This issue was written by Julie Levy.

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