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APDIP on Telecenters 2.0 Print E-mail
Written by Victor van Reijswoud   
Friday, 27 July 2007
The Asia-Pacific Development Information Program (APDIP) has released two new e-Notes on telecentres. The first in a sub-series of accompanying e-Notes, presents telecentres as a mature development mechanism: Telecentre 2.0. The second e-Note examines models for financing telecentres to ensure sustainability. A third e-Note is in the making and will focus on FOSS applications in telecentres.

Telecentres can play an important role in addressing the challenges of the digital divide, as there are still large sections of society who do not enjoy access to ICT and are therefore at risk of being excluded from the socio-economic benefits that such access bring. Early experiments with telecentres have revealed promising development opportunities and as such, telecentres have been springing up across developing Asia.

The first e-Note, Telecentre 2.0 - Beyond piloting telecentres argues that with telecentres now being part of national roll-out programmes in many countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region, a second generation of telecentres is evolving; Telecentre 2.0. The term Telecentre 2.0 is used to describe the second generation of telecentres that are part of an ecosystem consisting of telecentres, information providers and support institutions. Telecentres scale-up and long term sustainability are strengthened when such an ecosystem is mobilised. The author, Roger Harris, outlines how the Telecentre 2.0 model can help countries that do not have established telecentres on a country-wide basis in doing so by drawing on previous and well-documented experiences from other countries.

The new generation of telecentres is characterised by a range of characteristics:

  • Policy: They are well embedded in a government policy that recognises the importance of ICT in poverty reduction.
  • Regulations: Telecentres 2.0 are the product of a deregulated telecommunications environment, in which increased competition is encouraged and licensing requirements are relaxed.
  • Partnership: Telecentre 2.0 is formed and/or operates within a 'national alliance' that includes government, the private sector and civil society representatives.
  • Funding: The new generation telecentres are funded and sustained by a mix of investment, subsidy and its own revenues. Telecentre 2.0 is not donor-funded.
  • Content and Services: Internet content is relevant to the local needs, promotes local development and it provides services and products that are appreciated by the local community.
  • Staff: Telecentre 2.0 is staffed by local people with skills in community development.
  • Evaluation: There is a continuous evaluation of activity and achievement.
  • Networked: Telecentre 2.0 belongs to a national and/or international network of telecentres, which facilitates the sharing of experiences and resources.

Telecentre sustainability has plagued the telecentre movement. Misconceptions about telecentre financing threaten to postpone the achievement of international development goals in development sectors where ICTs have been seen to contribute to their achievement. Tried and tested financing mechanisms are available to foster the spread of telecentres that are able to generate revenues as well as those that require subsidies to survive; in much the same way that a wide range of other public services do, including basic telephony. As telecentres are emerging as the foremost means of using ICTs to deliver public services to large sections of the populations of developing countries, robust financing mechanisms will be needed to ensure that such services reach a wide audience.

The second e-Note, Telecentre sustainability - Financing ICT's for the poor therefore addresses issues of financial sustainability.

In response to the sustainability challenge, the athor examines different ownership and financing models for telecentres, emphasising the balance between subsidy and revenue. It examines how these models can assist in ensuring long-term financial sustainability and how both the private sector and civil society can be mutually involved in this process.

The third e-Note in the series has not yet been released but will deal with the use of Free and Open Source Software in the context of telecentres.

Both e-Notes provide an easy-to-read snapshot of some new insights in the area of telecentres. The papers contain interesting information for policy makers who consider to initiate telecentre programs but want to avoid the pitfalls of the first generation of telecentres. The pointers for additional reading that are added at the end of each paper, guide the readers to more detailed literature. As also highlighted in the Grameen Foundation expert study on the state of the field of village computing , the telecentres are still a potent tool in bridging the information and communication needs of the rural areas.