Information and Communication Technology

4C's of ICT

- Computing

- Connectivity

- Content

- Capacity

Goal or targets: 

- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

- Achieve universal primary education.

- Promote gender equality and empower women.

- Reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat aids and other diseases.

- Ensure environmental sustainability.

ROLE OF ICT

- Access to market information and reduce transaction costs.

- Increase supply of trained teachers and broaden availability of quality educational materials.

World summit on the Information Society

-Connect villages.

- Connect universities, colleges etc

- Connect scientific and research centers

- Connect public libraries, cultural centers and museums

- Connect health centers and hospitals

- Connect all local and central government departments

- Ensure that all of the worlds population have access to telecommunications services.

ICT Challenges:

-Awareness

-Availability

-Accessibility

-Afford ability

Hardware and software cost: afford ability is a prime factor in digital divide.

Connectivity costs:

Shared access model: pay as you use

Broadband:flat-rate

Robustness: telecommunications equipment is designed to have five 9s”

Content:

- Passive consumption of content

- Active production of information

- Usability and interface

- The use of ICT requires a level of literacy, both lingual and technical. We need to transform complex technologies into user-friendly

Security:

Is a concern even for uninformed or unaware end-users, it places an implicit cost on all transaction. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Internet of the future must be:

- Trustworthy

- Reliable

- Globally inclusive

- Vendor neutral

- Easy to use

- Affordable

- Able to change rapidly

- Innovative and capable of significant expansion

- Transparently and well managed

Regulation and policy:

Many developing countries regulate ICT restrictively.

Wireless: access to technologies hold great promise for develop regions given low usage densities and limited legacy.

Digital information and broadcasting: can be easily and there is already widespread usage of digital tv and even digital radio.