Stage 2
11:45 - 12:15
English
Talk
Everyone
Access
Affordably Connect Everyone, Empower Communities, and Save the World.

Kurzthese

The value of being connected to a communication network is steadily rising. And yet, half of the world population remains unconnected to the Internet. Existing network operators are showing signs of having reached their limits in terms of connected the unserved. Steve Song argues that if we are going to connect *everyone* affordably, we need to change the way we think about the problem.

Beschreibung

African countries have gone through a mobile revolution which has transformed access to communication on the continent in the last 20 years. However, as demand for broadband grows, access penetration is slowing.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggest current connectivity strategies will fail to connect everyone, poor rural communities in particular.  Those of us with access to the Internet accept the increasing social and economic benefits of access as normal, often without considering how the unconnected are increasingly disempowered as a result. This need not be the case.  A new wave of technological and organisational innovation offers an alternative vision of access that could empower everyone.  Small-scale commercial and community network operators can address access gaps if they are empowered by effective regulation and investment.

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