Telecenter (General)

Telecentre Support Network Product and Services Planning
Desc : Workshop conducted in Chennai in Dec 2004 on the above topic.The workshop uncovered a common belief that the new service should represent the “fuel to keep the light burning” for a global telecentre movement. It should engage a wider range of partners and beresponsive to the uniqueness of each telecentre. More specifically, the participants:

1. identified and prioritized common needs for telecentres in different areas in Asia
2. identified and discussed ways to address major hindrances
3. identified key steps to be taken regionally and cross‐regionally at an early stage of implementation

Most compelling ideas or lessons (From Page :10 Of the document. URL given below)
⇒ content packaging and content localization
⇒ the importance of capacity building and of having a helpdesk support network
⇒ challenges in achieving sustainability
⇒ the importance of community participation and the emphasis on development
⇒ multi‐stakeholder approach in community participation/inclusiveness in the community
⇒ the need for capacity‐building repository and resources
⇒ risks of community telecentres
⇒ the business model ‐ various telecentre models and financial sustainability models
⇒ how to deal with the issues of infrastructure, content, community participation, and
management for achieving sustainability
⇒ the growth of the telecentre
⇒ corporate world starts to understand the issues of the entrepreneurialism vs community model
⇒ workshop organization which included group work, community participation, sharing of
experiences, and networking opportunities
From Page :10 Of the document

Author: N.A. 48 participants
URL :http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/11116067871Chennai_outcomes.pdf

Fundamental Questions About Telecenters And Related Issues

Q: What is a Telecenter

A: There are many kinds of Telecentres. Telecentres may be independent individual agencies or enterprises, part of a franchise, or perhaps a project of a national agency. All Telecentres aim to stimulate and respond to the demand for information and communication services, yet each Telecentre is likely to have its own unique qualities that match the needs of the community. Of course, all Telecentres believe that they are relevant to the community they serve. An important indicator of the success of any Telecentre is the degree to which it becomes an integral part of the community it serves.

• Telecenter starts with communication tools

Telecentres often start out small and expand their services in response to demand. People need access to telephones, faxes, photocopying machines, e-mail and Internet services to strengthen them personally and professionally, as well as for community development.

• Community involvement is the key

If they have a sense of ownership of the Telecentre, and they or their representatives are involved in the set-up and running of a successful Telecentre, their self confidence will be boosted, negativity about effecting change will be banished and many other positive benefits for development in the community will result.

• Multi-purpose Community Telecentres (MCTs) empower the community

Although this manual refers to a range of possible Telecentre models, the primary focus is on Multi-purpose Community Telecentres (MCTs), owned by the communities themselves, because of their potential to address the needs of people in Africa in a way that most empowers the communities they serve. MCTs are generally seen as structures that can encourage and support communities to manage their own development through access to appropriate facilities, resources, training and services. Other names for Multipurpose Community Telecentres include: gCommunity TeleService Centresh; gMulti-purpose Community Information and Communication Centresh; and gCommunity Multimedia Centresh.

Reference: Jensen, Mike and Anriette Esterhuysen. 2001. The Telecentre Cookbook for Africa: Recipes for Self-sustainability. UNESCO

Q: What Types of Telecenters Do Exist?

A: Beyond these common elements of public access and ICT services, there is great variety in the way that telecentres are funded, owned and operated, as well as in the way they serve different kinds of users, and utilize different technology to provide service. IDRC' work in Latin America, Africa and Asia has helped us to identify at least six types of telecentre experiences, or models. These models are not exclusive, since some telecentres are in fact hybrid versions of two or three different types.

• Basic Telecentre

The Basic Telecentre is generally located in rural or marginalized areas, where the population has limited access to services in general (communication or others), and where there are high rates of illiteracy. They tend to be small operations funded by international agencies and implemented by non-government organizations (NGOs) or other non-profit groups, with a small number of computers using dial-up connections to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) set up in a room or hut adapted for this use. In some cases, innovative Internet access solutions are being explored involving radio and wireless connectivity. Given the nature of this activity, a key ingredient for success is the training of operators and people from local communities who are potential users. The major challenge basic telecentres face is financial sustainability once donor support ends.

• Telecentre Franchise

A different approach to deployment is the establishment of a series of telecentres, which are centrally coordinated but independently owned and operated. A local organization usually facilitates the creation of individual, networked telecentres through technical and/or financial support. The local private sector or the government may fund the first stage of implementation and provides some technical support. After establishment, each individual telecentre is run like a small business, eventually becoming independent both financially and technically. They generally feature a small number of computers for public access and dial-up connections to ISPs.
Related Case_Studies:TARAhaat.com: Internet Portal to Connect Rural India to the Global Village

• Civic Telecentre

A variety of public libraries, schools, universities, community organizations, and other civic institutions are starting to offer public access to their computers and Internet connections. The primary focus for these groups is not the telecentre activity itself, since this is something that is offered in addition to their own cultural, educational and recreational services. Many of these organizations may not regard themselves as telecentres, which makes their identification, and therefore their involvement in research or exchange programmes, even more difficult.

Telecentres of this type generally offer limited services and little in the way of training for potential users, and often do not publicize their services very openly or outside the immediate community they serve. Access is also limited by the priority given to the primary activities of the host organizations. Connectivity usually depends on a single dial-up connection (e.g. public libraries or community centres), or more sophisticated local area networks (LANs) and dedicated lines (e.g. in some schools and universities).

Related Case_Studies:Wireless School Internet Connectivity by the World Links

• Phone shop

Phone shops are generally commercial operations, implemented by the private sector and run like small businesses. Services vary according to local needs. In some cases, fax and e-mail have been added to local and long distance telephone service. Interestingly, one third of Senegal's 9000 phone shops are located in rural areas. The ones offering electronic communication services tend to adopt the cybercafe model. In India, many phone shops offer international direct dialing and automated time measurement features which facilitate billing for customers. In many Latin American neighborhoods, people can make phone calls and receive messages economically in stores, businesses, and even private homes. However, this type of ICT activity is quite different from the African phone shop model and less relevant to this typology. The focus here is on telecentre types offering electronic communication services that go beyond basic telephone access.

Related Case_Studies:Grameen Bank Village Phone

• Multi-purpose Community Telecentre (MCT)

Multipurpose Community Telecentres (MCTs) are being introduced in a number of countries as pilot projects supported by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). These facilities offer more than basic ICT services, focusing on specialized applications such as tele-medicine and tele-education. They could also provide postal and banking services and function as an outlet for other communal services such as water and electricity. A maximum offer of private information and communications services, such as tele-trading, rental of virtual offices, vocational training courses, support to SMEs, email and Internet access, will improve the sustainability and increase the impact of the MCTE(Ernberg, 1998a, Universal Access for Rural Development).

MCTs tend to establish Internet connections via leased lines or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), with local area networks connecting a number of computers (e.g. 3-20) made available for public access. In addition, specialized equipment for applications such as video-conferencing or tele-medicine may be available.

Related Case_Studies:A Multi-Purpose Community Telecentre in Uganda

Reference: Gomez, Ricardo, Patrik Hunt, Emmanuelle Lamoureux. Focus on Telecentres: How can they contribute to social development?International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada

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