Financially Sustainable Digital Divide Bridge Onno W. Purbo

Disclaimer.. I may be wrong Some thought may be too extreme Consider this as an on going research work

More References

Way of Thinking.. Focus on Self-finance Sustainable Access (Infrastructure). Applications may run on top of it. Aim for highest impact at lowest possible overhead if possible self-finance sustainable processes.

RebelNet Architecture

Two (2) Main Technologies WiFi – for outdoor usage! VoIP

Main Features “Low Cost” US$ / WiFi node. US$10-50 / phone line (depending conf.) Operating cost US$400/16-60 line/ month Many Open Source

Main Problems Outdoor WiFi (Fixed Wireless) creating a lot of regulatory breach. Operator Licensing issues. Frequency issues. VoIP (Internet Telephony) Create corporate voice telephony extranet  bypass most corporate traffics via VoIP  Problems for Telco & Gov’t!!

Major Approaches Government Grass Root Movement

Government Path Key Success Attitude, Quality, Culture – human resource.

Paradigm Shift? Old Technology Expensive Specialized Skilled Licensed from Gov’t Invest by Investors Build by Vendor etc Run by Operator For user Future? … Technology Cheaper Technology Friendly From the people People Invest People build Run by People For People

Major Obstacle.. Old paradigm in regulatory framework, i.e., only a licensed operator can run the network. No room for community based infrastructure.

Government Major Approaches Set Vision; Do Assessment; Get Loan; Deploy Pilot or Write Policy Paper. People get nothing  … Licensing Services People have to pay the government..

Implanted Divide.. Operatorsvs. users. Investorsvs. users. Havesvs. the have not. one close to regulator vs. common people. one close to operator vs. common people. one close to political leaders vs. common people.

Some problems in licensing.. Distortion in licensing processes. Homebrew equipment type approval. No room for infrastructure that build, run, operate, and for communities. Frequency is commodity. The bottom line is “money talk”.

Grass Root Movement

Consequences.. 4+ Million Indonesian Internet Users WiFi outdoor installations CyberCafes schools on the Internet Not much gov’t funding & support No World Bank, IMF funding Mostly self-finance

Grass Root Key Success Ability To Read English Supply Created-by-Demand Society’s level of education Access to ICT skills / knowledge for ICT professionals

Demand Creation Awareness Demand Creation Business Opportunity Pressure on Regulation

Create Supporting Structure Encourage Student  ICT Knowledge Producer Mailing Lists  Tacit Knowledge Distributor Publications in magazine, books, VCD. Self-finance and self- propelled. Community broadcasting for rural / village areas.

Access For Int’l Bodies Regulatory reform Keep in mind a shift in technology paradigm Careful with distortion in operational practice Supporting Grass Root Movement Aim for sustainable knowledge cycle for high impact. Aim for self-finance & sustainable path.