Home Truths about Technology Architecture: what will really work for the (real) India

This article traces trends in technology development in India, arguing that "bottom-up tech may just do the trick" in bridging the digital divide in that country. Sarkar begins by offering the figure that, of the 429 million people online globally, "41% are in North America. Also, 429 million represents only 6% of the worlds entire population." She also notes that, in India, only 4% of people have telephone service, and nearly 70% of India's population live in small towns and villages. Serving the needs of the excluded, she says, calls for a look at hardware. However, she qualifies this claim with the caveat that "cheap hardware may not necessarily be an appropriate solution unless it comes with software that is bundled along for specific uses..."

Sarkar says that "technology solutions for the large majority in India, be it computing or connectivity technology solutions, should be innovative, have scalability and the competency to penetrate into each of the 600,000 villages." Cost-effectiveness is also a key factor. She points to several innovations designed with cost in mind, like Netcore Solutions' Thin Client-Thick Server Computing. This system involves making older, lower-configuration personal computers (PCs) work off more powerful new computers. Recycled PCs, running on open source software, become graphical terminals that connect to "thick servers". The computers are available for Rs.5000. Another example is Web Ezee Technologies' Data-Vision, a low cost hand held terminal priced at Rs. 6000. The compact unit operates on a re-chargeable battery, supports an application in micro-finance, and enables the localisation of services in rural and remote areas. Poor rural women who are participating in Dhan Foundation's project in Kanakpura taluk are using Data-Vision. This personal data assistant (PDA) technology is also being used for governance; Sarkar cites several examples.

Sarkar also provides examples of connectivity-based solutions that are being developed, such as the new technology that provides simultaneous high-quality voice and data connectivity (corDECT). In addition, she says that "Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) are playing a growing role in the provision of telephony, distance education and data services in remote areas." However, she points to vulnerability to weather, latency problems (due to the distance between the satellite and ground station), and comparatively high usage fees as weaknesses associated with use of this technology. In the area of satellite technology, Sarkar cites the efforts of World Space, which is making radio available to people in remote rural areas of India and other developing countries. She states that, since 1990, the company has built 3 satellites that, when used in conjunction with low-cost receivers, can provide e-Learning, e-Health, and e-Governance solutions.

Finally, Sarkar reviews a number of wireless solutions. First, she examines developments related to a technology called Wireless Fidelity, or Wi-Fi. One industry official cited in the article predicts that Wi-Fi, which enables the construction of a wireless wide-area network, will appear in India in the next 18 to 24 months. Summing up this official's comments, Sarkar writes, "We need to think of Wi-Fi networks as core to building out a connected nation. The question is how to put it together to build a bottom-up community network providing low-cost, mass-market connectivity". She provides several examples of efforts to that end, including the Linux-driven DakNet. Second, Sarkar points to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which she says has the capability to replace the routing technology system for circuit-switched local exchanges in rural and remote areas. This technology, she says, has not yet caught on in India, in part because of its uneven quality and high cost ($500 and $800 per phone).

In conclusion, Sarkar states that "While multiple players and varied technological menus in the communications sector augur well for rural and underserved areas, the key really is for a well thought out policy and regulatory environment that can underscore the significance of equitable and convenient access. With many options in connectivity still in the testing phase, and with no clear mandate in the policy infrastructure for taking cutting-edge solutions to non-elite populations, the translation of choices into realities still seems distant for the majority."

Click here for the full article on the IT for Change site.

Source

Article forwarded to the bytesforall_readers list server on September 2 2003 (click here to access the archives).