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Providing low-cost ICT access to low-income communities in developing countries : what works? what pays?

CASPREY, G
O'CONNOR, D
2003

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This Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report discusses the potential of and need for telecommunications development in rural areas of low-income countries. It outlines the main challenges, and describes sustainable options. The report also reviews low-cost options and summarizes policies that would support the more rapid diffusion especially telecommunications reform

Grameen Telecom's village phone programme : a multi-media case study

RICHARDSON, Don
RAMIREZ, Ricardo
HAQ, Moinul
March 2000

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GrameenPhone is a commercial operation providing cellular services in both urban and rural areas of Bangladesh, with approximately 40,000 customers. This article describes the company's village phone programme, which is enabling women members of the Grameen Bank's revolving credit system to retail cellular phone services in rural areas. This pilot project currently involves 950 village phones providing telephone access to more than 65,000 people. Village women access micro-credit to acquire digital GSM cellular phones and subsequently re-sell phone calls and phone services within their villages

The first mile of connectivity : advancing telecommunications for rural development through a participatory communication approach

RICHARDSON, Don
PAISLEY, Lynnita
Eds
1998

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Begins with the need to work at the 'first mile' of connectivity - essentially the prevailing conditions for rural communities - when discussing the value of new information communication technologies. Emphasises people and the communication process, and the various factors of community dynamics and context that frame any communicaiton initiatives, not the technology . Chapters cover a range of examples of participatory communication methods, such as Participatory Rural Communicaiton Appriasal, and the training of 'community animators'. Looks at examples of rural telephony and radio, telecentres, video and the Internet, and also discusses some issues connected to telecommunications infrastructure and regulation, such as rural networking co-operatives and parterships with the private sector

Telemedicine project in district village of Andhra Pradesh

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A report on a telemedicine project in the remote hamlet of Andhra Pradesh. Using ISDN and VSAT lines, the village was connected to hospitals in Hyderabad and Chennai, bringing tertiary care to the villagers and making key specialists available to them. Although not a financial success, the popularity of the project means that the organisers want to extend the scheme further

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