Internet Project for Poor Attracts Rich

Little Intelligent Communities (LINCOS), a pilot information and communication technology (ICT) project in Costa Rica, was designed to help provide these services to isolated, poor communities. Instead it resulted in helping the comparatively well off by showing them how to market their products on line.

LINCOS was established to provide such services as telemedicine (for education), information technology (for training), and jobs at the LINCOS center (for employment). According to its business director, Marvin Cabezas, "LINCOS's main contribution to the region has turned out to be commercialization of products, encouraging people to sell directly outside the country and to take risks." Local residents "were not interested in the project or used it only for accessing pornography and vice."

The project is helping coffee farmers create web pages, and learn how to access the internet for information such as coffee prices, equipment purchases and registering trade marks. Aside from helping coffee growers, LINCOS has helped lead to the development of an online real estate agency and the opening of an Internet cafe.

LINCOS will relocate to San Marcos and open a commercial Internet-cafe to attract local business people who are interested in e-commerce services. LINCOS claims it is responding to demands in the market place by focusing on customers who want to use its services rather than those should want to use them

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