Digital Divide Institute formulates strategic alliances that bring broadband meaningfully to the “next two billion” in emerging markets.
Digital Divide is Now “Broadband Gap”
Since 2007, advocates of the global movement to close Digital Divide, no longer care much about wish “ICT indicators”, like boosting e-government or reforming their telecommunications sectors. Today, only one factor matters: broadband. Even low income countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia understand that their future depends on whether they are able to leapfrog beyond 2G mobile devices to bring 4G-level smart devices to the masses. Tablets-for-the-masses campaigns are at the top of their lists and these must be empowered through apps and fast internet networks that empower the poor. For this reason, the focus of most developing nations is to close the “broadband gap” between urban elites and rural villages. To achieve this goal, many nations have established broadband policies under the direct watch of prime ministers and presidents. Here is a partial list of them: National Broadband Plans from Detecon.
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News Wrap |
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Here's is a Surprise: Last week, Angry Birds had its worldwide Facebook release in Jakarta, of all places. Calling the Indonesian capital “the world’s most Facebook-connected city”, Rovio, which owns Angry Birds, is eager to reach one billion users by following Facebook into the red-hot Indonesian market, rather than launch in typical saturated markets of the West. Rovio’s real motive is not short-term profitability but eyeballs. Looking ahead to its $1 billion IPO later this year, Rovio wants investors to see big numbers |
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What is digitaldivide.org |
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Events |
December 16, Bangkok, The UN’s Asia Pacific division (UNESCAP) hosts Prof Craig Warren Smith for a debut lecture: “A New Social Compact for the Broadband Era.”
December 14, Jakarta, GSM Association, DDI Chairman, Prof Craig Warren Smith's keynote: "A Methodology for Predicting Benefits of Meaningful Broadband".
November 24, Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia (Detiknas) hosts Meaningful Broadband Working Group worksession led by IGADD co-chairs Ilham A Habibie and Craig Warren Smith and Mastel Chairman, Setyanto P Santosa.
October 24-25, Institute of Information Industry, Taipei, In discussions brokered by DDI, officials from Thailand and Indonesia open negotiate with executives of Taiwan's multinational corporations regarding their possible participation in device/app deployments for Meaningful Broadband.
October 18-22, Silicon Valley, Ilham A Habibie and Craig Warren Smith discuss Meaningful Broadband deployments with professors at Stanford University, University of California-Berkeley, and multinational corporations and investor institutions. Contact Us for schedule details.
October 11 - 14, University of Washington, DDI Founder Craig Warren Smith conducts seminars and discussions with academic programs in several departments, introducing Meaningful Broadband to faculty members and considering UW partnerships in DDI's deployments in Southeast Asia. Contact Us for schedule details.
More than any other industry, telecommunications is a “compact” between public and private sectors. This compact must be re-drawn in the broadband era.
