Title: A story to illustrate the usefulness of DEMML
Author: Grant Sheridan Robertson
Source: DEMML Blog
Date (published): 23/10/2009
Date (accessed): 28/12/2009
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
The Distributable Educational Material Markup Language™ (DEMML™) will be both a free and open XML format for marking up educational material in a highly structured yet incredibly flexible manner and a system for authenticating and distributing that content throughout the world, even to areas that have no internet connection at all. Once distributed, no internet connection is required to use the material either. This material is organized and classified to a degree never before attempted, using what turns out to be a rather simple system of encoding the hierarchical tree of all possible educational material right down to the paragraph level.

Title: A Guidebook for Managing Telecentre Networks: Engineering a New Phase of the Telecentre Movement
Editors: Meddie Mayanja, Manuel Acevedo, Silvia Caicedo and Claire Buré
Source: wikibooks.org
Date (published): November/December 2009
Date (accessed): 28/12/2009
Type of information: open-content textbook
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
A collaborative project of the telecentre.org community. Wikified by Bangladesh Open Source Network with support from Partha Sarker.
via http://twitter.com/ictlogist

Title: A Historical View of Pakistan Telecom Industry and Its Impact on Pakistan Culture
Author: Babar Bhatti
Source: State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan
Date (published): 28/12/2009
Date (accessed): 28/12/2009
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Taimur Sikander has written an interesting article for Dawn about the long way that telecom has come in Pakistan and the impact of mobile phones and telecommunication on Pakistan society. I particularly like how he provides snapshots of the early days, and the way politics, arts and culture were shaped by telecom.

Title: Case study: Nokia Life Tools
Author: y Damian Koh
Source: CNET Asia
Publisher: CBS Interactive Inc.
Date (published): 20/10/2009
Date (accessed): 27/12/2009
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Nokia may be a name most would associate with handsets and great user interfaces. But increasingly, the Fin is focusing on solutions and services. We take a look at the launch of Life Tools, which targets an interesting segment in the emerging market of India.

Following this, the service will be rolled out in Indonesia, which will make it the first country in Southeast Asia to get the Nokia solution. First talked about in November 2008, Life Tools is a service tailored for farmers and rural communities living in remote areas, providing them with information specific to their livelihood and personal enrichment."

Title: Farmer Messaging : Sri Lanka farmers get mobile phone trade service
Source: LBO.lk
Publisher: Lanka Business Online
Date (published): 23/12/2009
Date (accessed): 27/12/2009
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Sri Lanka's top celco Dialog Telekom is offering a trading platform based on short message services (SMS) that can help farmers to sell their produce and create a forward market for agriculture produce, officials said.
"The Dialog TradeNet agricultural trading platform service is offered free of charge to users, but normal call charges and SMS charges will apply," Hans Wijayasuriya, chief executive at Dialog Telekom, said.

Title: Social Implications of Mobile Technology in Developing Worlds
Author: Michelle Walls
Source: Little Bits & Pieces: A Digital Media Blog
Date (published): 12/12/2009
Date (accessed): 27/12/2009
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Malcolm Gladwell said “poverty is not deprivation. It is isolation.” Often the smallest technological advances create the largest social impacts, take the Internet for example. Technology impacts the developing world in great ways because the contrast it has to the developed world. Mobile technology is no longer the shiny new accessory; it has succeeded in the developed world and I argue it can help provide a cure against the isolation Gladwell mentions. Companies and governments already know the opportunities mobile technology can bring to the developing world, but what are the social implications? Unable to participate in the global market because of the lack of technology, these developing worlds see the affect of inadequate communication by being unable to compete for a piece of the global profit. Mobile technology can change lives, but in what ways? Despite how fascinatingly different cultures around the world are the inability to understand all of them prove that communication is important and universal. Within this paper we’ll step outside the traditional studies of mobile technology in the developing world and focus on the social implications using case studies and examples. I will look at three social implications: the blurring of livelihoods, family communication and the pursuit of relationships.

Title: Bottom of the Pyramid Expenditure Patterns on Mobile Phone Services in Selected Emerging Asian Countries
Authors: Aileen Agüero, Harsha de Silva
Pages: 29 pp.
Source: CPRsouth
Date (published): 15/12/2009
Date (accessed): 22/12/2009
Type of information: conference paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This paper evaluates the importance of mobile telephone expenditure in consumer budgets of the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Thailand. We examine if mobile phone services in the selected countries display characteristics of a luxury good or that of a necessity. Upon evaluating the expenditure patterns as a share of total personal income we conclude the service to be a necessity.
Welfare and poverty issues are then addressed with the estimation of Engel curves, as they show how consumption of various goods and services change with variations in the consumer’s income. We estimate Engel curves for expenditure on mobile telephone services for the BOP in the selected countries to show that mobile phones are part of everyday lives among the selected consumer group.

See also:
Presentation pdf

Title: Using ICT research to assist policy making and regulation: the case of Namibia
Authors: Christoph Stork, Tony Vetter
Pages: 14 pp.
Source: CPRsouth
Date (published): 15/12/2009
Date (accessed): 21/12/2009
Type of information: conference paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This paper examines three barriers to effective policy-making and regulation in developing countries: inefficient operators; information asymmetry between regulator and operators; and where the role of the regulator to balance the interests of consumers, competing enterprises and investors is not being fulfilled. The paper demonstrates how ICT research of Research ICT Africa in combination with multiple communication strategies have been used to assist regulators and policy makers in making informed decisions and led to market liberalization and legislative and regulatory reform in Namibia. A presentation on research
results to the Namibian president and cabinet in 2006, private sector co-funding of research projects, over 80 newspaper articles covering research results, 21 magazine articles, six target policy briefs, radio and TV interviews, face to face consultations all helped shaping public opinion and informing policy makers and regulators. This paper describes how ICT research was translated into useful information and advice for policy makers and regulators by working with journalists, providing strategic information to the private sector, researching issues for the regulator and maintaining impartiality.

See also:
Presentation pdf

Title: SMS Project Fights Malaria In Africa
Author: Mitch Wagner
Source: Information Week
Publisher: United Business Media LLC
Date (published): 15/12/2009
Date (accessed): 21/12/2009
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
IBM interns are teaming up with Novartis and Vodafone to use text messaging and the Web to fight malaria in Africa.

The three companies, along with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, are piloting a project called SMS for Life to use text messaging and Web sites built with Lotus Live collaboration tools to track and manage supplies of anti-malarial drugs, IBM said.