Kayemba Robert, you need to connect with Life in Africa here at Ned, that's one of the very things they do.

Kayemba Robert, I think that the development of Internet centers is important but only one of the important goals. One of the problems with ideas is there are so many of them, it's hard to narrow down to a manageable level. There are also quite a few organizations and it's the same problem.

Here's a blog post I thought of when I saw your inquiry. And here's part of it:

I also met Helene Karamagi and beside from exchanging some iphone hacking tips, I asked her about the ICT4D in Uganda. She gave me some interesting insights I would like to share here. From her point of view, Africa is going to face promising times when it comes to ICT4D. Her sister runs the famous Brosdi example presented on the web2fordev conference. The following three points she highlighted for Uganda:

1. In Uganda, by next year, all local districts will be connected to the Internet. This will enable a new way for information sharing between rural and urban areas.
2. This means that there will be a high demand for web solutions and all sorts of applications that will lead to a rise on new enterprises in that domain.
3. Whereas in the beginning it was to NGOs, slowly the private sector is getting involved asking how to contribute to ICT4D. It is entrepreneurs, who try to develop business models for connectivity and web solution, which make profit and are potentially more sustainable.

Sorry to write so many words. I think the point about the private sector is a good one. You are in Kampala, so the needs and solutions there many be somewhat different from other places in Uganda.

I think that one of the key things that's important in Uganda in addition to more Internet centers, is for people to invent ways to connect to the Internet without going to the centers.

Mobile phones are clearly one direction that might take. Erik Hersman did an article about this today, and he's been thinking and writing about the subject for a long time. What I like about his article today is his point that it's good to think of easy solutions that solve a particular problem rather than more complicated systems that solve lots of problems.

I'm really interested in finding ways to connect schools, which as you know sometimes have no electricity, in easy and low cost ways to the Internet. The obvious solution is a computer and some sort of solar electric panel. But that costs so much, so I want simpler and cheaper. Now there are some guys here at Ned who write textbooks. I'm eager to see if they like any of my ideas about connecting schools.

So the idea that comes to me from your question is really a suggestion that you think about simple problems that would be helpful for you in your business to solve, where the Internet and communications devices might play a part. Rather than think about more Internet centers, try to think of ways to use existing Internet centers to solve some particular problem. And it's good to remember that these ideas for solutions don't have to be charity, but in fact can be business solutions. That's the reason I copied what Helene Karamagi said, because I think she's really smart to see that business is going to start to drive the development of ICT in Uganda. I would like to see you get in on the ground floor. I think there will be money to be made in this field.

I think there is a need especially in school villages. People could benefit more. so Kayemba be part of them.

Welcome to the "Telecentres for Development" group - this is a great example of the kind of threads I hoped would "spring up" here!

Thanks to one and all.

It sounds like there is exciting news about net connectivity in Uganda, and a group of folks committed to exploring how it can be leveraged.

John P offers some good advice as well - telecentres are by no means a panacea.

I'd urge anyone interested in the topic, in any case, to visit telecentre.org and browse their excellent collection of materials and links. One good starting point is here.

[Edited by Jon A - typos and omissions]

In Thailand, I just got a nifty little thing from a friend to allow me to be connected when I am out on the Burmese border over the next 6 or so weeks. It is a little thing less than twice the size of a cigarette lighter that is a USB plug-in. It is offered here by the Telecommunication Organization of Thailand. It acts as a wireless modem and connects you to the internet via the cell phone grid. The cost is about 500 baht (right now that is about $16) a month unlimited usage.

Linda, can it work in areas where there is no electricity? Because here the problem is power supply and few people can afford laptops. So can you adress that?

Robert, I don't think it is the solution to the connectivity problem in Uganda. That problem is much too big for that. I was just trying to share a current technology that I am using in an area that also has poverty and low connectivity.

The "modem" runs off of the power from your computer. There is nothing to do with computers (or much of anything else for that matter) that requires no power (or money).

I've got a quick question that may have been dealt with elsewhere/another thread and I haven't seen it. (so sorry in advance if that is the case)

Generators. Diesel or bio-diesel fuelled generators.

The power issues are mentioned frequently with regards Uganda - why don't the centres have a generator each to enable regulated power supplies?

Is it cost?

>>why don't the centres have a generator<<

Good question.

Some do.

The one biz that always had power during my two weeks in Uganda was the gas stations. Cause when the power went out, the generators kicked in. And they were nightime beacons of light, let me tell you.

The answer is not generators to keep the computers running. We had a generator at Christina's house. Very expensive to run and not so good with computers. They tend to produce unsteady power and it sputters and surges. With a light the surges don't effect it much but you can be working along fine on the computer and then the generator sputters and the computer dies abruptly, taking with it anything you were working on. Plus its not so good on the computer to be shut off like that. At our center in Kampala it was hard to get enough power from the generator to allow the computers to do much more than check email very very slowly. Uploading or downloading was nigh onto impossible.

The real answer is solar power. In Gulu we had the panels and it worked fantastic. It wasn't that expensive when you factor in the cost of running a generator for a year and it was much more stable.

Yep - solar panels are definitely the way to go and they are obviously affordable there which is fantastic!

I was just curious about the generators. And I realise that a single generator would be useless for providing power to computers - the only time I've ever known them to be of stable use is when two small generators are run simultaneously (rather than one larger unit) to overcome brief computer-unfriendly interuptions.

I didn't realise the cost of running them in Uganda was so prohibitive.....but if it pushes everyone in the direction of solar power then that has to be a good thing. :)

Picking up on solar here, I was reading about nonosolar's printed technology which is set to bring costs tumbling.

The problem is they are well oversubscribed for orders, so the developing world will have to wait for what could be a lot more affordable.

Granted they want to maximise their market share, but is there a conflict between being green and being moral here, I wondered?

yea , i think solar energy is cheaper than using a generator in uganda.

Have you taken a look at http://www.greenstar.org ? They have been putting solar-powered computer/community centers in remote locations.

The cost to do this is relatively high, but the idea behind it of using solar power, and creating local commerce, while connecting to international generosity and purchasising, is one way to try to address the problem.

In the links library at http://www.tutormentorconnection .org I've been aggregating links to web sites related to tutoring, mentoring, volunteerism, workforce development, etc.

Is anyone building a similar library with links to people innovating solutions to the internet/electricity issues in remote parts of the world. If someone were hosting such a library it could support the learning and innovation of anyone else working to solve the problem.

Yo know Dan, we really ought to collaborate on something like this. I'm thinking of tagging, mostly, outside Ned that is.

If a group of us decided to sign up to one of the tagging sites and started applying for example a tag of 'Ned-solar' for anything we happen across along the lines you just mention it might just raise the visibility.

What think you all?

Jeff,

Can you explain how tagging would work, vs hosting a library of links on a central web site?

The advantage that comes to me is that it raises the profile above other issues in a more general space where others might be influenced. Noting that on sites dedicated to social purpose networking there's a relatively small corps of people who have become almost family members in the last few years.

You and I must be on all of them!

Some sites draw in outsiders but when I think of the old Omidyar, there were oly a few participants in many thousands registered.

Maybe it's half a dozen of one vs six of another, as they say.

I like the idea of Ned-solar and will try to remember to use it. My tagging at delicious is haphazard, but I really do think community tagging is a great way to aggregate information.

Off topic, but I've tried to encourage people who go online at telecenters to use book marking sites for handy access to bookmarks. I don't think anyone has taken the suggestion. I like delicious because it has a convenient button in my browser for quick saving. I recognize that's not possible on shared computers. I'm curious if anyone who uses a shared computer mostly uses bookmarking sites? Here's a list of some. Also there is A1Webmarks. What site do you use?

>>My tagging<<

A little off topic, but what's cool about tagging when there is a group event, is the way to simply gather information/photos/videos together.

Here is an event called Startupalooza I attended on Saturday and at least two people have already uploaded photos.

Here's another event called Ignite Portland with over 650 pictures. Group tagging at places like Flickr/YouTube will become more and more commmonplace I suspect. Best part...as usual. It's bottom up, not top down.

Going back to internet matters. What the US Army is aiming for may prove to be interesting, if the technology setup is as they describe and it's suitably ruggedised for the climate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp -dyn/content/article/2008/04/20/ AR2008042001788.html?wpisrc=news letter&wpisrc=newsletter