Community-based Networks and Innovative Technologies: New ...

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SummaryThe technology-development landscape is continuously evolving not only in terms ofmarket dynamics and technology opportunities but also in terms of permitting newapproaches to meeting the development and communication needs of the poor and underservedcommunities. This research considers one of these evolving options to address theproblem particularly at the level of last-mile or last-inch access: an innovative combinationof community owned enterprises and the new wave of wireless and related technologiesthat together may have the potential to extend networks and offer new services to poorcommunities and to empower them to develop solutions that are more focused on theirdevelopment needs. While a lot of attention is being paid to wireless and related cost-effectivetechnologies, the focus has been mainly on connectivity and perhaps not enough onhow this might permit new approaches to development at the local level that could alsobe effective in empowering communities.In combination with a number of positive regulatory trends and ideas, these emerging optionscould make a significant difference to network access, delivery of services and economicand social opportunities for poorer rural communities. They can drive down costs andmake maximum use of community resources, enabling the emergence of new business/developmentmodels that are both more economically sustainable and more empoweringthan anything else available. Furthermore, a high degree of community control can significantlyenhance the viability and development impact of ‘hybrid’ public/private/communitynetworks and service solutions.Why Community-Driven Enterprises?Certain advantages of a community ownership model have long been demonstrated in infrastructureprojects, in both developed and developing countries. Whether in irrigation orwater systems, local electricity plants or bridges, community ownership, control and participationusually means that infrastructure can better address community needs, thatcommunity resources such as manpower and public commons can be leveraged, that thecommunity is willing to invest in them, that they are more highly valued, and that theyare better maintained. In recent decades the benefits of community ownership and participationin terms of empowerment have also been recognised and exploited to goodeffect.Few realise that there already exists a rich and ongoing history in rural telephony cooperatives,now moving into ISPs, broadband and wireless access. In the USA many of thethousands of cooperatives that first brought telephone service to rural areas in the firsthalf of the last century are still in operation, now providing modern telecom services, includingbroadband access. More recently, rural telecom cooperatives have appeared in countriesas diverse as Argentina and Poland. Local authorities have also taken up a similar role.They are highly successful in terms of price and quality and, more importantly, have beenshown to contribute and often stimulate other development activities locally. In poorercountries, local community control and participation is widely recognised as critical tothe success of ICT projects such as telecentres and application development. And rapidlyexpanding programmes for local access in India in recent years combine both networkprovision and community-driven applications development and supply provision.10
Community-based Networks and Innovative TechnologiesThese are often presented as merely niche areas or historical phenomena that are nolonger valid for more general application in terms of in light of technological advancementsand the growing role of the private sector involvement in the ICT sector. However,research demonstrates that this is an option that is being explored and implemented inboth developing and industrialized countries.The Role of TechnologiesIt is, in part, technological innovations that increase the potential of this model now asa candidate for serious consideration. New and emerging technologies, especially wireless,are particularly suited to the deployment of community owned network infrastructuresbecause of their low level of initial investment and scalability, their relatively simple technicaldeployment, their low-cost and open standards, and their adaptability to voice anddata requirements.Wireless technologies of different types are beginning to demonstrate their value in thoseregulatory pockets that allow them (and in some that do not). Not only pilot projects, butalso a few full-scale rollout programmes are deploying low-cost wireless to reach low-incomerural communities, where beneficial applications are being developed from the groundup.Regulatory OpeningsOf course, regulatory obstacles to new technologies and players have often been themajor barrier to progress in many areas of ICT development. But there is some evidencethat there is more openness to trying out new solutions such as ‘voice over IP’ and wirelessprotocols, particularly in areas that are seen as otherwise unattractive for investmentand service provision. Single formula solutions are also no longer seen as being supportable.The reality of ICT environments and needs, of vested interests and investmentpossibilities, varies hugely. But principles such as technology neutrality, ‘open access’ tobackbone infrastructure, and a ‘public good’ rationale in certain ICT network componentsare beginning to be heard, for instance in the context of the WSIS preparatory meetingsand in a number of developing countries. A layered approach to network development,each with potentially a different set of regulatory and ownership possibilities, is emerging.Alongside private or public ownership, partnerships, local authorities, SMEs andindeed communities are seen as having a role to play.It is early days yet, and the emerging possibilities will take some time to come clearly intofocus. But there is little doubt that paradigms in ICTs are becoming more varied andcomplex, each component more suited to different possibilities, and that the simple binaryof public monopoly versus private competition no longer constitutes the poles in thisdynamic. Analogous to technology neutrality, it could be argued that ‘operator neutrality’is needed in the regulatory space to facilitate service and network provision by localactors.11
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