Title: The Role of ICT Actors and Networks in Development: The Case Study of a Wireless Project in Nepal
Author: Devinder Thapa
Pages: 16 pp.
ISSN: 1681-4835
Source: The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, (2011) 49, 1, 1-16
Publisher: City University of Hong Kong
Date (published): 13/10/2011
Date (accessed): 20/11/2011
Type of information: peer reviewed article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"The role of ICT actors in the formation and extension of ICT4D projects is important. The actors through their extended network and aligned interest can enhance the effectiveness of the project which in turn enables socioeconomic development opportunities. However, few studies have been conducted to understand the role of these central players. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to address this knowledge gap by conducting a qualitative case study in the Myagdi district in the mountain region of Nepal. In this study we explored the Nepal Wireless Networking Project (NWNP) and examined how an activist started it from one mountain village and gradually extended across more than 150 villages. The formation and extension of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) projects goes through different phases of identification of relevant ICT actors, roles, negotiations, and their interest alignment. To understand the various phases, we employed Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and explored how a social activist, in the midst of challenges, initiates the wireless project to facilitate educational and healthcare services to the mountain regions. In continuum, the study found how the activist identified relevant actors and enrolled them to form a network of aligned interest. The study also identified several challenges such as high illiteracy rate, over dependency on focal actor, and poor physical infrastructure that may impede the network building process. Furthermore, we identify some implications for research and practice based on insights from the case study."

Title: ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia: Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks
Author: Rohan Samarajiva and Ayesha Zainudeen (editors)
Pages: 320 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-7619-3673-2
e-ISBN 978-1-55250-378-2
Publisher: Sage India, IDRC
Date published: 2008
Date accessed: 16/06/2008
Type of information: research publication
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
This book brings together scholars, practitioners, former regulators, and policymakers to address the problem of expanding information and communication technology (ICT) connectivity in emerging Asia. It centrally engages the widespread claim that technology by itself — independent of policy and regulatory reform — can improve access to ICTs. In doing so, it shows that while complex workarounds are possible, they are significantly less effective than the appropriate policy and regulatory reforms.

This book examines how theoretically optimal concepts actually get implemented in the hard terrain of emerging Asia. It gleans lessons from five Asian countries — Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka — based on their experiences with expanding ICT connectivity. It reports the findings of a cutting-edge 3000+ sample demand-side survey of telephone use at the "bottom of the pyramid" in India and Sri Lanka. It considers the problem of expanding connectivity from different angles: that of the user, the operator, the policymaker, the regulator, and civil society. And it sheds light on a range of situations and technologies, like telephone use in post-conflict regions of Sri Lanka, Wi-Fi deployment in Indonesia, and universal service obligations in India.

The Editors

Rohan Samarajiva is Executive Director of LIRNEasia, and former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in Sri Lanka. He is also former Team Leader at the Ministry for Economic Reform, Science and Technology, responsible for infrastructure reforms in Sri Lanka.

Ayesha Zainudeen is a researcher at LIRNEasia. She has a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics.