[UgaBYTES] [KenTel] Mobile Revolution Can Benefit Youth
Ndaula Sulah
ndaulasula at ugabytes.org
Fri Jan 8 11:02:09 EST 2010
Dear Dr. Arun,
I love your contribution. It fills many pieces in puzzle - probably it helps
in identifying the button that mobile phone intervention has helped to
unlock in telecentre initiatives. I can see that for disadvantaged
communities (urban or rural) telecentres will continue to provide the
physical facilities to transcations that M-platforms will provide. But in
this area telecentres will have to compete with for profit enterprises.
On the other side, Arun's contribution may mean that we have to change the
way we validate documents from rubber seal or stamp to system
communications. For example land titles will only need to be validated by
sending an sms to a land office database system and a loan is thereafter
given. The same could apply on knowing results and validity of an academic
document for somebody seeking employment or further studies .......... In
the end creating a paper free community, what a perfect answer to climatic
change (partly).
Not sure I am actually talking, I have just reached home from work -- very
tired, indeed.
Best regards,
---
Sulah
On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 9:58 AM, <Arun.Varma at ilfsets.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Cleopa and Sula,
>
> I have read with interest the dialogue between you two.
>
> While I do not have direct answers, I can, perhaps, try to put some of
> the evolving trends in my country.
>
> e-Governance is yet to become a buzzword here. Issue/validity of
> digital signatures is a case in point. Many people, even those in
> government, doubt the validity of it in e-Governance. India has
> crossed 485 milllion mobile phone subscriptions. Yet, m-governance is
> only spoken about as a future way of life. The general take on
> m-governance here is that while hand phones are perfectly suited for
> market information, weather and perhaps agri-consultancy kind of
> services, governanance and government services will need more time to
> gain acceptability.
>
> At the present levels, it will be very hard for the system to convince
> that a copy of the RoR (Land Records Copy) can be obtained through the
> handphone and the same can be submitted at the bank for a personal
> loan by a farmer.
>
>
>
> Dr. ARUN VARMA
> Vice President
> IL&FS Educational Technology Services Ltd.
> 4th Floor, Program Management Unit
> Department of Information Technology
> Electronics Niketan, Lodhi Road, NEW DELHI - 110003
> Tel: +91-11-64519957
> Fax:+91-11-24363552
> -----ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org wrote: -----
>
> To: kentel at list.kenyatelecentres.org
> From: Cleopa Otieno <cleopa at kenyatelecentres.org>
> Sent by: ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org
> Date: 01/08/2010 02:33AM
> cc: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
> Subject: Re: [UgaBYTES] [KenTel] Mobile Revolution Can Benefit
> Youth
> Dear Sulah,
> Mobile phones have a key role in the future of the telecentres,
> reflecting
> back on the India Visit late last year, it appeared that most of
> the
> services offered by the common service centers and all the other
> centers we
> visited gave the telecentres booming business, the model was great,
> Private
> Public Partnership well established, high population with
> purchasing power
> maybe because they had to since the government offices were far
> away, indeed
> the telecentres offered a perfect solution to them.
> What I did notice though was the low use of mobile phones to offer
> some of
> the services, Ideally, very few of the people currently using these
> centers
> to pay electricity bills, buy train tickets, pay other utility
> bills like
> water, obtain ration cards etc would have a reason to visit the
> telecentres.
> Why? because they would be able to do all these from the comfort of
> their
> bedrooms.
> Most would agree that there is a great shift of the e-services to
> m-services. Very soon or already I see things like M-goverment
> rather than
> E-goverment, M-learning rather than E-leanring in Africa.
> Watching CNN and seeing some of the news items that citizen
> journalism
> submit through mobile phones, leaves me puzzled and wondering what
> role the
> many mobile subscribers in Africa have as regards this and whether
> these
> gudets will soon drive the photo journalists home as well.
> "if you can not beat them join them", I think telecentres have an
> opportunity here, so as not to allow (#1 'mobile phone' waters
> leave the
> telecentre movement earth behind them to become extinct or merely
> rudimentary? &
> #2.telecentre movement earth to dissolve in the waters of the
> mobile phone
> to create planned bigger hypes in Africa?),
> we must venture into serious local content dvelopment which the
> mobile phone
> users can buy into and access from their homes rather than visit
> the
> telecentres. With the age of digital broadcasting TV stations will
> need
> local content which in most places in africa is little
> explored........
> Best Regards.
> Cleopa.
> On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 3:01 PM, Ndaula Sulah
> <ndaulasula at ugabytes.org>wrote:
> > Dear Cleopa,
> >
> > As I rest for lunch now; I reflect on what happened in the night
> - it was a
> > weird dream with mix talking parties all in me. But in the middle
> of the
> > conversations a conclusion was drawn that - as the 'waters of the
> sea' rise
> > or lower they leave the 'earth' behind them unless it 'dissolves'
> in them or
> > becomes physically overpowered by their forces, other factors
> remaining
> > constant.
> >
> > I woke up and scribed a few things including the examples the
> parties were
> > giving within the conversation e.g in social change, ecological
> adaptation,
> > tribal and language extinction, disease resurgence ... and of
> course
> > technological uptake. Words in quotes were also addressed with
> broader
> > meanings each time a new application was added into the
> discussion.
> >
> > But as found your mail this morning, I wandered whether the
> 'notes of the
> > night' could add meaning to my search to understand the
> relationship between
> > mobile platforms and other applications. or even the big world
> development
> > pazzle. For example:
> >
> > #1 Will the 'mobile phone' waters leave the telecentre movement
> earth
> > behind them to become extinct or merely rudimentary?
> >
> > #2. Will the telecentre movement earth dissolve in the waters of
> the mobile
> > phone to create planned bigger hypes in Africa?
> >
> > #3. Will the telecentre movement earth be overpowered and merely
> pushed
> > within the mobile phone?
> >
> > #4. How will the earth around the mobile phone sea look like when
> the
> > waters find a stable height?
> >
> >
> > Sharing the reflections at lunch...
> >
> > Best regards,
> > ---
> > Sulah
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 6:13 AM, timonson at gmail.com <
> > timonson at googlemail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Quite an intresting and insightful read Sulah, many have always
> reasoned
> >> technologically when it comes to the very reason for the
> explosive
> >> penetration of mobile phones in Africa. The fact that mobile
> phones are
> >> simple to master usage, can be used off power source, is low
> cost, very
> >> portable etc, explain its wide use and adaptation in Africa,
> however now
> >> that you brought in the oral nature of Afican populace, it makes
> much more
> >> sence. Thanks.
> >>
> >> Best Regards,
> >> Cleopa.
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Ndaula Sulah
> >> Sent: 05/01/2010 1:17:36 pm
> >> To: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org;
> kentel at list.kenyatelecentres.org;
> >> ciresearchers
> >> Subject: Re: [UgaBYTES] Mobile Revolution Can Benefit Youth
> >>
> >> Hey Sandra,
> >>
> >> I have been following mobile technology with love - but not at
> all as an
> >> expert but rather as a learner. When new ICTs (I mean computers
> and
> >> internet) first came to Africa, many researchers and
> practitioners linked
> >> them to the "African Drum": the drum of community service, the
> drum of
> >> death, the drum of harvest... and the socialization culture of
> Africans at
> >> village level - at least in social development. That is why
> public access
> >> centres were bound to succeed and that many organizations used
> the drum as
> >> their symbol at a time e.g. Drum Beat to emphasis the place of
> ICTs in
> >> social cultural roots of the continent. But not in practice.
> >>
> >> Picking pieces together, the technology had to sheer on the
> socio-cultural
> >> and economic norms of the continent. The continent is largely
> oral:
> >> messages
> >> that are spoken fly x6 faster than those that are written. You
> may
> >> remember
> >> a common saying "if you want to rob an African write and if you
> want to
> >> fail
> >> speak". With this analysis, it was not surprising that later,
> after many
> >> had
> >> thought that new public access centres would replace radios,
> researchers
> >> and
> >> pac practitioners thought it fiting to incorporate community
> radio within
> >> the PAC model to create CMCs. UNESCO and IDRC have been central
> here. The
> >> intervention came in later, asserted more impact and
> empowerment. It was
> >> the
> >> perfect awaited recipe to push sustainability of telecentres to
> a new
> >> meaning. These with commercial hung, were out to establish
> radios for
> >> profit
> >> in Africa - in uganda 212 FM radios have been established - all
> >> successful.
> >>
> >> Reflecting on what I am say, I not sure am speaking. But when
> mobile
> >> telephony came in with 100% oral focus, allowing people to speak
> their own
> >> luganda, kiswahili, and the millions of dialects there may be in
> Africa,
> >> wow
> >> the adaption and adoption has been un measurable. The simplistic
> talk has
> >> again grown that mobile technology will replace PAC which were
> thought to
> >> replace radio and libraries ealier on. How interesting! But most
> of you
> >> have
> >> already seen how oral ICTs have intermarried to create bigger
> impacts than
> >> either of them could. Look at the democratization of FM radios
> through
> >> mobile technology - a typical example, isn't it?
> >>
> >> I have been wondering, how the siblings of present relationships
> between
> >> mobile phony platforms and other communication and development
> sectors
> >> will
> >> look like in future. Will content be an issue? Who will own the
> voices and
> >> trascation through the platform? How will the remittance systems
> be
> >> handled
> >> as most service begin to be delivered through the Mobile phone
> system? Is
> >> there any anticipated takeove and major revolution say in the
> banks will
> >> operate, etc.? ....
> >>
> >> Best Regards,
> >> ---
> >> Sulah
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 1:49 AM, Sandra Nassali
> <snassali at ugabytes.org
> >> >wrote:
> >>
> >> > The explosion of mobile telephony in the just-ended decade
> shattered the
> >> > myth that Africans are slow to take up technology.
> >> >
> >> > The mobile distribution, though still low by global standards,
> is one of
> >> > the
> >> > fastest growing in the world and proves one other thing - that
> >> technologies
> >> > which address practical problems will always be readily
> embraced.
> >> > Besides the difficult-to-compute millions of shillings that
> the
> >> technology
> >> > has contributed to the economy, at a personal level, it has
> >> revolutionised
> >> > how Africans communicate, transact business and even exchange
> money.
> >> >
> >> > The biggest segment of the community to benefit from this
> technology are
> >> > the
> >> > youth, who have opened myriads of retail mobile-related
> businesses, from
> >> > the
> >> > sale of sets, accessories, repairs, programming and many
> others.
> >> >
> >> > The momentum has only started and an even higher pace is
> expected in
> >> coming
> >> > years. And this is where young people can benefit by
> developing
> >> real-life
> >> > solutions to build around the technology.
> >> >
> >> > There is no doubt that a convergence of sorts will happen
> around the
> >> mobile
> >> > phone in coming years, and the biggest winners will be
> companies and
> >> > individuals who today provide tomorrow's solutions.
> >> >
> >> > Largely, young people have shunned traditional engagements
> such as
> >> > agriculture for not being trendy, but this time, with cash
> available
> >> from
> >> > the Youth Development Funds, there is no reason why they
> should not
> >> invest
> >> > in the business.
> >> >
> >> > We are optimistic that this time round, government regulatory
> >> authorities
> >> > will not stand in the way of innovations, and that it will
> provide the
> >> > right
> >> > policy framework in good time. It must also seek ways to
> thwart the
> >> > manipulations of traditional corporate cartels.
> >> > --
> >> > Sandra Nassali
> >> > Community Facilitator
> >> > UgaBYTES Initiative (www.ugabytes.org)
> >> > Telecentre.org (www.telecentrecommunity.ning.com)
> >> > Plot 2218 Ggaba Road,
> >> > 2nd Floor Kangave House
> >> > P.O. Box 6081 K'la
> >> > Email snassali at ugabytes.org
> >> > chat (skype)- n.sandra.
> >> > Tel +256-414-370163
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > ugabytes mailing list
> >> > ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
> >> >
> [1]http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabyt
> es.org
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Executive Director
> >> UgaBYTES Initiative
> >> Tel: +256414370163
> >> Mob: +256712314969
> >> Skype: sulah.ndaula
> >> Yahoo: ndaulasula
> >> Email: ndaulasula@
> >> (ugabytes.org,yahoo.co.uk or gmail)
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
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> es.org
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Executive Director
> > UgaBYTES Initiative
> > Tel: +256414370163
> > Mob: +256712314969
> > Skype: sulah.ndaula
> > Yahoo: ndaulasula
> > Email: ndaulasula@
> > (ugabytes.org,yahoo.co.uk or gmail)
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > kentel mailing list
> > kentel at list.kenyatelecentres.org
> >
> >
> [4]http://list.kenyatelecentres.org/mailman/listinfo/kentel_list.ke
> nyatelecentres.org
> >
> >
> --
> Cleopa Otieno
> +254720950220
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> 4.
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--
Executive Director
UgaBYTES Initiative
Tel: +256414370163
Mob: +256712314969
Skype: sulah.ndaula
Yahoo: ndaulasula
Email: ndaulasula@
(ugabytes.org,yahoo.co.uk or gmail)
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