[UgaBYTES] [uwci-ct] Rural communication: Is there still a need for telecentres now that there are mobile phones?

[Sarah mpagi]

Dear all,

Samuel Senfuka started a good discussion on mobile phones and telecentres.
It was really surprising though that many of us kept silent about the
discussion which could have highlighted rich ideas about the subject. I just
have a few of my take on the subject and would like to hear from others as
well...

I would say yes; we still need telecentres even though mobile telephones
have widely penetrated many rural areas. Mobile telephones offer only part
of the services offered in telecentres. Telecentres have services ranging
from access to available content, computer trainings, IT services which
includes photocopying, faxing, telephone services, phone charging in case of
rural areas where there is no electricity, library services e.t.c. All these
services cannot be accessed through the mobile phones.

Mobile phones pose many challenges to especially rural people. Not very many
people know how to navigate through their mobile phones irrespective of just
receiving communication and receiving and sending out messages. In most
parts of rural communities, electricity is not easily accessible making it
difficult for people who want to charge their phones walk long distances to
the centres where the service is provided.

Telecentres remain the most convenient places to go to because they provide
numerous services to the communities. Although telecentres also have
sustainability problems, they remain the only places rural communities have
to access information and other services for improved livelihoods. Many
telecentres even though they have no internet connectivity, through
partnerships with other institutions they try to find useful information
which is always pinned on their notice boards or walls for every user to
take, sometimes they find a better way of disseminating such information to
the communities.



Cheers
Sarah Mpagi




On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 9:05 AM, Senfuka Samuel <
samuel.senfuka at ceewauganda.org> wrote:

> Dear members telecentre practioners and  all those interested in ICT4D,
>
> Here is an interesting study by APC on Mobile phones and other ICTs. I know
> it will generate a lot of debate but it's a good read for you.
>
> Best regards,
>
> --
> Senfuka Samuel
> Program Officer
> CEEWA-Uganda
> P.O.Box 9063
> Kampala-Uganda
> Tel:+256-41-4269477/507
> Fax:+256-41-4269469Email:samuel.senfuka at ceewauganda.org <Email%3Asamuel.senfuka at ceewauganda.org>
> Website:www.ceewauganda.orghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ceewa-uganda
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "APC" <webeditor at apc.org> <webeditor at apc.org>
> To: samuel.senfuka at ceewauganda.org
> Subject: [APCNews/Text] APCNews - October 28 2008 - Year IX Issue 90
> Date: Oct 28, 2008 20:34
>
> ------------APCNEWS - OCTOBER 28 2008 - YEAR IX ISSUE 90------------
>
> ————————————
> APCNews - October 28 2008 - Year IX Issue 90
> The news service on ICTs for social justice and sustainable development
> ————————————
>
> Mobile phone towers dominate the landscape of many countries where decent
> internet access still remains a dream. The Economist is telling us that
> mobile
> is all that matters now and many donors have succumbed to this vision,
> retreating en-masse from rural information and communication technology
> development. The author of a new report commissioned by APC concludes that
> "This
> has left the development of ICTs in the hands of large, highly-centralised
> telecoms." This edition, APCNews looks at the rationale behind getting
> internet
> into rural areas via wireless and not leaving it all to mobile, and reports
> back
> on real-life community efforts that have been taking internet access to
> parts of
> Latin America ignored by large companies. We also cover a tiny new
> hand-held
> computer that runs for hours and hours and hours…
>
> ————————————
>
> - NEWS -
>
> Rural communication: Is there still a need for telecentres now that there
> are
> mobile phones?
>
> MONTEVIDEO (Ian Howard for APCNews) - Following the initial rush of
> information
> and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) projects in rural
> Africa,
> many did not yield the anticipated outcomes, and interest has been dying
> down.
> People then began talking about "sustainable ICT" projects that would
> become
> self-sufficient after their initial set-up period. But with mobile phones
> gaining in popularity, popular rhetoric has begun to question the need of
> ICTs
> beyond the mobile phone. While mobiles have had a great impact in rural
> areas, a
> new study by Ian Howard, commissioned by APC, argues that the need for
> telecentres and affordable internet connections exists, as such centres
> cater to
> rural and niche markets the way larger companies cannot.
> [http://www.apc.org/en/node/7178/]
>
> Read Howard's study
> [http://www.apc.org/en/node/7237/]
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> To post a message, write to: UWCI-ct at wougnet.org
> UWCI-CT information page and archives:
> http://lists.wougnet.org/mailman/listinfo/uwci-ct
> Information about WOUGNET: http://www.wougnet.org
> UWCI-ct is hosted on Kabissa - Space for change in Africa
>



-- 
Nalwoga Sarah Mpagi
Program Officer
Knowledge Management & Research
UgaBYTES Initiative
Plot 2218 Ggaba Road, Kabalagala
2nd Floor, Kangave House
P.O. Box 6081 Kampala, Uganda
Mobl: +256 772 433 158
Off:    +256 414 370 163
Check our web: www.ugabytes.org
skype: sarah.nalwoga.mpagi