Technology Salon

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a discussion at the intersection of technology and development

April 2009 - Technology Salon

Archive for April, 2009

  • Future of Mobile-Empowered Development: Technology Salon

    Washington DC | By on April 15, 2009 | Comments Off on Future of Mobile-Empowered Development: Technology Salon

    So what can the development communities learn from the mobile operator approach? Where are they going in their “emerging markets” – the future of mobile coverage, usage tariffs, distribution channels, and network sharing? And what’s the next paradigm shift in technology that can spur more development – be it public or private?

    mobile phone future
    Who is the next mobile owner?

    Please join Terry Kramer, Group Strategy & Business Improvement Director for Vodafone in an intimate, informal, and in person, discussion around the nexus of mobile technology and international development at the next Technology Salon.

    The Future of Mobile-Empowered Development
    April Technology Salon
    Friday, April 24, 8:30-10am
    UN Foundation Conference Room
    1800 Mass Avenue, NW, Suite 400
    Washington, D.C. 20036 (map)

    Our gracious host is the UN Foundation and we’ll have coffee and donuts for a good morning sugar rush to wake everyone up. Two changes with this Salon – we’ll meet on Friday morning, instead of Thursday, and Alice Liu will be the guest moderator, as I will be in San Francisco.

  • There needs to be a micro mobile telco solution, an entrepreneur-led, small-scale business model to deliver connectivity to rural or underserved areas not seen as commercially viable by large GSM providers.

    rural micro mobile telco
    Rural mobile phone entrepreneurs

    In this model, voice communication is the original “killer app” – the key functionality that drives early and widespread adoption and revenue. But should broadband data also be provided, even if there isn’t obvious demand?
    Broadband data connectivity is needed for many applications in virtually every development sector, from e-government to e-health, and is often central to any educational intervention. And as mobile carrier backhauls are almost always IP networks, the technology it there.

    In fact, there was also consensus that technology was not the main micro mobile telco constraint – costs and functionality continue to develop to the advantage of potential effective solutions like WiFi mesh networks, WiMax technology, and GSM infrastructure.