1. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters DOT-COM-ALLIANCE (Digital Opportunity through Technology and Communication) : Access and Applications USAID PROGRAM (www.dot-com-alliance.org/dotorg.htm)

2. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters The LearnLink Experience  LearnLink’s Goal:  Explore models for sustainable public access to IT  Help integrate IT into USAID Mission project portfolios  Share lessons learned

3. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters A Typology of Models  “Adoption”  Governmental  Commercial  School

4. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters The “Adoption” Model  NGO or local community group sponsors  Objective is service, not profit  Fee-for-service to cover operating costs  Examples:  Songhai Center in Benin  Multiple NGOs in Ghana

5. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters The Governmental Model  Government subsidy for public access  Objective is development, equity  Often fees are prohibited  Examples:  Asuncion, Paraguay  U.S. Public Library model

6. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters The Commercial Model  Local entrepreneur opens facility  Objective is profitable business  No special brief for development applications or content  Examples:  Bulgaria, Haiti  Business centers  Cybercafes

7. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters The School Model  School-based computer “labs” sometimes open to local community  Objectives: education, job preparation  Some systems charge fees  Examples:  Guatemala, Morocco, Namibia, Uganda

8. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Some Common Lessons  Plenty of demand, acceptance  Community involvement helps  All the models can work  Most problems “institutional”, not technical

9. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Some Common Challenges  Maintaining development focus  Concurrent work on access, content, market growth  Structuring the incentives correctly  Efficient operations  Responsibility for development content  Including marginalized areas and populations  The question of subsidies

10. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Everyone’s Needs Are the Same  Help to get started  Technical assistance  Management training  Locally-appropriate applications and content  A long term plan

11. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Technical Assistance  Network design, equipment selection  Technical management -- network mgt, disaster recovery, virus protection, maintaining connectivity  Real-time technical support  Staff and user training  Offering ancillary services -- desktop publishing, web site design and hosting, dial-up services

12. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Business Management Needs  Management training  Financial planning -- pricing, billing, equipment replacement cycles  Collective action -- bulk purchasing, rate negotiation, lobbying

13. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Marketing Issues  Demand aggregation and stimulation  Who subsidizes the public good?  Surviving while the client base grows  Investing in clients  skill acquisition  understanding of new services  Nature of demand

14. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters Longer Term Issues  Professional support organization  Local content  E-commerce platform  Involvement in creating hospitable regulatory environment  Sustaining pro-social focus  Lessening the “digital divide”

15. Videoconference Material Business Management Models for Telecenters For More Information, Contact:  Dr. Dennis R. Foote, Vice President  LearnLink Project Director  Academy for Educational Development  1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW  Washington, DC 20009  Ph: 202-884-8708, Fax: 202-884-8979  Email: dfoote@aed.org  URL: http://www.aed.org/learnlink