The Digital Divide: Propects and Challenges for Technology Advancement in the Americas

Categories: Digital Democracy
31th

I had the opportunity to go to a really great panel discussion hosted by the Americas Society and Council of the Americas about rolling out connectivity technology in developing nations. A few notable points from each speaker:

Evan Hansen

Editor-in-chief, Wired.com, Opening Remarks

  • Connectivity provided by the “broadband” model goes against the basic nature of the internet, making us stick to the phone company model, as access is meant to be created through a series of connections, not one large controlling provider
  • The telephone model is dead, it’s amazing that we still pay for it considering such developments as Skype
  • Governments should provide a base level of connectivity, allowing for ubiquitous connectivity
  • FON is the largest Wifi hotspot provider in the world, and is creating a network sharing system for communities
  • What is the business model for ubiquitous connectivity?
  • The phone is the new PC, with mobile technology allowing countries to leap frog previous infrastructure costs
  • The future is wireless and mobile

Matt Keller

Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, One Laptop per Child

  • These laptops promote rational critical thinking, and when children explore programs and programming for such fields as mathematics, rather than rote learning they are “thinking about thinking”
  • At first encounter, a child can open one of these laptops and have them on in 8 seconds
  • Children in developing nations are taking these laptops home and then teaching their parents
  • Currently mesh networking and adhoc networks are being used
  • Mesh networking allows for easy student collaboration in the classroom

Tarkan Maner

President and CEO, Wyse Technologies

  • In developing countries not only infrastructure is required, available content (such as current market rates of crops) needs to be digitized and made available
  • Radios are being used in devices to receive and share connectivity

Eduardo Saravia

Marketing Director, Telefónica International Wholesale Services, USA, Inc.

  • We need self-sustinable and self funding models
  • Visionary leadership and Political will needed for developing countries to catch up
{ Tags: }

pagetop