Bringing the Internet to Rural Areas of Developing Countries as the Great Equalizer Toward Promoting Social Justice Catholic Relief Services ICT4D Conference Accra, Ghana March 20, 2013 John McFadden 1

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The Problem (Opportunity) Lack of or very poor electricity and communication services in rural areas Not profitable for corporations to bring traditional technologies to rural villages Governments don’t have resources for this “First or last mile” of infrastructure 3

A Solution Drive By Wi-Fi (DBWF) – Conceived by Amir Alexander Hasson as an MIT business class project in 2001 – Being implemented by United Villages – Uses wireless and computer technologies to bring the internet to places that can’t be wired 4

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Applications Voice Mail Web Searching Village Specific – Access to market pricing – Access to consumer goods – Access to health care information and education – Schools 6

Stages of Business Growth * Stage 1 -- Provide voice, data and Web Internet Services Stage 2 -- Provide small scale ordering and delivery services - E-Shop Stage 3 -- Provide full web ordering and delivery services Chintan Bakshi, Jaipur, India

Lessons Learned Ensure the long term commitment of all Villagers want information –not bytes Carefully assess connectivity requirements Leverage evolving infrastructure to reduce costs and increase sustainability Mobile applications – “the last inch” are a fertile research area for rural development 8

Risk Mitigation Committed executive sponsor and resources Alignment with community initiatives Regular project updates to ensure continued commitment, alignment, and communications Procedures for managing changes/problems, including system tests and business continuity Ensure language and technical training Ensure reliability and security of data 9

2013 and On-Going Trends Advances in technology – Cheaper hardware with easier access in Web 3.0 – Micro-loans & individual ownership of computers – Specialized applications (using Web 3.0) Increase in “Green Movement” – Reuse of equipment & alternate energy sources A Greater Need for Global Social Justice – More opportunities for ecommerce 10

Special thanks to former students Faith Abney and Leslie Bosley Questions and THANK YOU ! John C. McFadden Loyola University Maryland U.S.A. 11