1. The Case For Technology in Developing Regions By: Eric Brewer, Mathew Kam Sonesh Surana etc. University of California at Berkeley ICT4D-CS761 1 Jitendra Nayak 07808808 Department of Humanities & Social Sciences IITB

2. Introduction 2 U N millennium Development Goals in 2000 states Make available the benefits of New Technologies- especially Information and Communication Technologies Along with good governance, technology is considered among the greatest enabler for improved quality of life- but Majority of its benefit concentrated in industrialised world Limited to a fraction of the Worlds population Technology has a larger role to play in developing regions since First world technology has been a poor fit in these areas – thus need for technology research in developing regions Cellular telephony the most visible application There are large differences in assumptions related to cost, power and usage Little work on how technology needs in developing regions differ from those of industrialised regions

3. ICT has potential for great impact in a variety of field ranging from health care to education to economic efficiency ICT can enable new solution only when applied with a broad understanding and multidisciplinary approach Any deployment must deal with complex social issues like gender, ethinic inequalities as well as existing players on which ICT might have a negative impact Need to work closely with Social Scientists and to partner with strong government and NGOs, which understand local needs and dynamics in a way that is not possible from far ICT Research for Developing Regions 3

4. WHY NOW ? 4 Three things necessary for ICT in developing regions are The impact of Moores Law – Which has decreased the cost of computing to fractions applied to shared infrastructure, not to personal devices Increased availability of Wireless communication- particularly cellular and Wi- Fi has decreased the cost. For example majority in villages in Bangladesh now have shared cell phones Emergence of more supportive business environment- because of diffusion of technology world wide and growing access to capital have created environment to deploy large scale ICT projects for research

5. ICT Projects have four main technology needs: Connectivity Low Cost devices Appropriate user interface Power What Should we do? 5

6. It has significant impact on the opportunities for ICT research in developing regions Three factors have impact on providing access to ICT in these areas, they are: Investment Capital Franchising Shared Technology Economic Issues 6

7. Though Environmental and cultural concerns require consideration, the long term impact of technology depends on its Economic sustainability Projects can sustainable either because they serve a public good and have ongoing support ICTs research covers vast areas for example HealthEducationDisaster managemente-government Economic efficiency etc. Impact and Opportunities 7

8. Thus the Paper tries to Convince the researchers that ICT can play a larger role in addressing the challenges and that there is a real need for innovative research That the need of developing regions are both great and unique and thus need a rich and diverse research agenda These needs are different from the industrialised nations at the same time providing ICT for developing region is not easy, but it is uniquely rewarding Because the needs are great, we must do better Conclusion 8

9. Thank you 9