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<div align="right"><font face="Arial Narrow, Helvetica" size=5 color="#008080"><b>Bangladesh
NGOs Network for<br>
Radio and Communication<br>
</b></font><font size=1 color="#0000FF">Promoting Communication
Technology for a Fairer World<br>
</font><font color="#0000FF"><a href="http://www.bnnrc.net/" eudora="autourl">www.bnnrc.net<br><br>
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<font face="Trebuchet MS" size=5><b>ICT Empowerment Network<br><br>
</b></font><font face="Verdana">As announced by Professor Muhammad Yunus,
Managing Director of Grameen Bank, in his special address to participants
in the ITU Telecom World 06 Opening Ceremony on 3 December 2006, the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Grameen, as part of their
collaboration through the <i>Connect the World</i> initiative, are
jointly launching a virtual, global ‘ICT Empowerment Network.’ <br><br>
Building on the vision outlined by Professor Yunus when he received the
ITU World Information Society Award on 17 May 2006, this network of
partners will be devoted to a collective global effort to combine the
power of ICTs with micro-credit financing to help the poor to earn
sustainable incomes. To help make this initiative a success, Grameen will
reach out to more than 3000 microfinance organizations and 100 million
borrowers worldwide, while ITU will lever the support and participation
of its 191 member states and some 650 private sector members from around
the world. <br><br>
The ICT Empowerment Network will consist of numerous independent,
self-financed groups of partners that collaborate either in physical
centres or virtually. Each group will focus on at least one of three work
streams: 1) ICT solutions, 2) sustainable business models, and 3)
capacity-building. <br><br>
<b>1. ICT Solutions<br><br>
</b>This work stream will include the development and implementation of
ICT Solutions, such as devices and low cost connectivity and access
solutions. Activities within the ICT Solutions work stream will serve as
a vital link between ICT designers and the more than one billion people
currently without access to information and communication technologies.
Collaboration between participating private sector R&D teams and
NGOs, community leaders and potential users will support an improved
understanding of the needs of those in currently un-served markets. This
will in turn yield practical, locally relevant and sustainable new
solutions that meet those needs and make a difference.<br><br>
There is already one centre in the network being planned by a consortium
called "Enclusion" led by a <i>Connect the World</i> partner,
Aptivate, and two private sector companies, Sagentia and Plextek
(Cambridge, UK), which specialize in mobile device design and low-band
radio connectivity, respectively. This centre will focus on low cost
rural ICT access solutions. Enclusion’s main project is to expand the
reach of existing GSM networks into some of the poorest, most remote,
rural areas using very low cost VHF radio. This extension will support
‘low-band’ data services such as SMS and email (for micro-credit
supported applications for local farmers and small businesses etc), and
short-range voice capability to unserved and hard-to-reach villages.
<br><br>
Enclusion will allow local users to access micro-finance programmes and
to send or receive money to friends, relatives or for small business
purposes. It will support existing social and family networks and provide
information about agriculture, health, education and business. The
service will be operated by local telecoms operators to fit into their
existing billing system. This will speed roll-out worldwide, ensure
interoperability and allow companies to explore demand in new markets
without great expense or risk. <br><br>
<b>2. Sustainable Business Models<br><br>
</b>Activities which come under the Sustainable Business Models work
stream will build on the experience of Grameen and its partners in
assessing the business plans of prospective entrepreneurs and providing
them micro-credit financing. <br><br>
ITU, Grameen and other partners, starting with Cisco Systems, will first
team up to provide eligible graduates of
<a href="http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/hrd/itci/index.html">ITU’s Internet
Training Centres</a> with business plan mentoring and micro-credit
start-up capital to launch their own ICT-related businesses such as
computer repair shops, internet or mobile phone service providers,
community telecentres etc. ITU will also encourage other ICT training
programmes to join the ICT Empowerment Network to expand the pool of
potential graduates available to receive this support.<br><br>
In some locations, employment of new graduates of ICT related technical
courses by existing ICT related firms is a limited option given that a
critical mass for the local ICT sector has not yet developed. Therefore,
while technical skills are inarguably required for the development of
local ICT capacity-building, so too are the business skills required to
set-up, lead and sustain successful local ICT businesses. This mentoring
and training will not only broaden the skill set of new graduates, it
will also help stimulate new entrepreneurial activities, leading to a
more dynamic local job market for all others wishing to enter the ICT
field, as well as create positive local spin-offs. The promotion of ICT
based small businesses in developing countries will benefit both the
individual as well as the broader community.<br><br>
A second early initiative to be launched within the ICT Empowerment
Network will focus on extending the reach of the successful Village Phone
concept. Through QUALCOMM's Wireless Reach™ initiative, QUALCOMM and
Grameen Technology Center will work together in 2007 to test the
extension of the successful Village Phone model in Indonesia, with the
aim of eventual broader roll out there. Such a Village Phone program in
Indonesia would develop thousands of micro-entrepreneur owned and
operated telecommunications businesses serving rural communities and
villages with access to CDMA-based wireless voice telephony and
data-enabled services. <br><br>
The core concept is simple, effective and sustainable: a local
small businessperson purchases a cellular phone and service plan with a
micro-loan and then retails the "minutes" to her friends and
neighbours. The programme builds on a model that has proved
successful in Bangladesh, Uganda and, most recently, Rwanda.
Village Phone generates wide-scale benefits. The microfinance
customer or borrower benefits from operating a thriving business and
community members benefit from access to communication services.
The microfinance institution(s) benefit(s) from establishing a new
product and revenue stream. Most broadly, the introduction of
Village Phone can spur transformative development by empowering people to
participate more fully in the economy and the political process.
Village Phone in Uganda has established over 5000 ICT businesses for the
poorest community members. Each Village Phone business serves a
community with people often traveling many kilometers to use the voice
and data services of their local Village Phone Operator.<br><br>
<b>3. Capacity-Building<br><br>
</b>The Capacity-Building work stream will aim to lever Grameen’s
micro-credit financing and expertise to expand the availability of loans
for students in ICT-related studies. To start, Grameen will provide
micro-credit financed loans for eligible students at ITU Internet
Training Centres, starting with those jointly run with Cisco Systems, as
well as some eligible applicants to the
<a href="http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/youth/youth_education_scheme.html">ITU’s
Youth Education Scheme (YES)</a>, which currently provides scholarships
to high potential students in ICT-related fields. Over time, ITU and
Grameen will encourage additional ICT training programmes to join the
network and expand the availability of micro-credit loans for additional
students.<br><br>
The audience served by the ITU Internet Training Centres varies depending
on the location, curricula and specific partner initiative. However, all
of these centres run on a cost recovery basis with an emphasis on
providing affordable training to students of participating institutions
and the general public. <br><br>
Though the fees of ITU Internet Training Centres are typically lower than
those of commercial training institutes, they still cost several hundred
dollars (USD), putting the courses beyond the reach of some potential
students. Expanding the reach of this training and the future employment
opportunities that will result to these potential students is the core
objective of this new micro-credit loan initiative. <br><br>
<b>4.Background <br><br>
</b>On 17 May, during his acceptance speech upon receiving the inaugural
World Information Society Award, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor
Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank called on global ICT companies to work
with NGOs and social business enterprises to develop technology solutions
and business models where ICTs can be used as an income generating tool
by the poor. He suggested that a virtual network be established to
support this work. <br><br>
In describing his vision, Professor Yunus said that he would like
"ICT designers to be given the challenge and opportunities to show
their talent in designing equipment and gadgets which will solve the
problems of the poor." To inspire their work, he added "these
designers will have pictures of poor women in Bangladesh, Somalia or
Bolivia on their desks to remind themselves who they are working
for." <br><br>
Professor Yunus believes that major progress in bridging the digital
divide will be possible when designers in global ICT companies have this
new end user in mind, and are stimulated to ask themselves each day
"what are her daily problems?" and "how can my
device/appliance help her find solutions to these
problems?"<br><br>
Since May, ITU has been in discussions with Professor Yunus on potential
collaboration to help realize this vision. Given the expertise of ITU and
its partners in ICT training, the concept has evolved to include capacity
building, in addition to the original emphasis on the development of
technical ICT solutions and business models.<br><br>
<b>5.Guiding Principles<br><br>
</b>The ICT Empowerment Network will adhere to the following guiding
principles:
<ul>
<li>Develop <b>local capacity-building </b>(i.e. local assembly, support
and maintenance of equipment) and involvement at all stages;
<li>Focus on <b>locally relevant solutions</b> that offer
<b>transferability and scalability</b> across regions and applications;
<li>Ensure that technical solutions and business models integrate
<b>environmentally sustainable</b> practices, including recycling and
safe operation and disposal of equipment;
<li><b>Encourage multi-stakeholder participation</b>. Each group of
partners should include representation from at least two of the following
stakeholder categories: government, business, international organizations
and civil society; and
<li><b>Share results</b> within the network and with the broader public
to stimulate follow-on developments and adaptations to suit additional
regions/user groups
</ul>6.<b>Coordination<br>
</b>This network will be a key activity of the <i>Connect the World</i>
(CtW) initiative. The CtW secretariat will therefore provide overall
coordination and communication support for the decentralized ICT
Empowerment Network, with assistance from ITU Regional Offices and a
designated Grameen company. ITU will also work with Grameen to track
progress and mobilize new partners and resources. A website will be built
and supported by ITU to provide a main centralized source of information
and interaction for the virtual network. This will be linked to the
websites of ITU-CtW and a designated Grameen company<br><br>
<b>7.Financial Support <br><br>
</b>Financial and in-kind contributions will be solicited to support
network coordination, partner outreach and communications activities as
well as website development and maintenance. Ref:
<a href="http://www.itu.int/partners/telecom2006/empowerment.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.itu.int/partners/telecom2006/empowerment.html<br>
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<br>
</font><font face="Courier New, Courier" color="#800000"><b>----------------------<br>
</font><font face="System" color="#0000FF">AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR<br>
Chief Executive Officer<br>
</font><font face="System" color="#008080">Bangladesh NGOs Network for
Radio and Communication<br>
&<br>
Member, Strategy Council<br>
UN-Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID)<br><br>
</font><font face="System" color="#800080">House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli,
Dhaka-1207 <br>
Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh<br><br>
</font><font face="System" color="#0000FF">Phone: 88-02-9130750,
88-02-9138501<br>
01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105<br><br>
</font><font face="System">E-mail: ceo@bnnrc.net, bnnrc@bd.drik.net<br>
<a href="http://www.bnnrc.net/" eudora="autourl">www.bnnrc.net<br><br>
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