by Thalif Deen
Special to the NNPA from IPS/GIN
Originally posted 9/27/2006

UNITED NATIONS -- An African diplomat from one of the world's 50 poorest nations, described as least developed countries (LDCs), once complained that it took about five to 10 years to get a landline telephone connection in his home country -- and an additional five years to get a dial tone on the new phone.

But since the widespread availability of hand-held cellular phones over the last five years, most of the world's LDCs have made a quantum leap forward from one extreme to another: from no landline phones to an abundance of wireless phones.

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The International Telecommunication Union has launched a report on ICT/Telecommunication development in least developed countries (LDCs). The report examines key developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunications sector including trends and challenges in the world's poorest countries in the period 2001 to 2005.

ITU's findings reveal that considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide and that teledensity targets set by the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) have been met by 25 of the 50 LDCs. According to ITU, teledensity has more than doubled in the majority of least developed countries since 2000 with some of them boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times, thanks to rapid growth in the deployment of mobile technologies.

The race towards universal access in LDCs has been mainly led by Small Island Developing States such as Cape Verde, Maldives and Samoa and small to average sized countries such as Gambia, Lesotho, and Mauritania, some of which have achieved teledensities of up to 44 lines per 100 inhabitants surpassing many developing countries.

More information on Cellular News at http://www.cellular-news.com/story/19371.php

An African diplomat from one of the world's 50 poorest nations, described as least developed countries (LDCs), once complained that it took about five to 10 years to get a landline telephone connection in his home country -- and an additional five years to get a dial tone on the new phone.

But since the widespread availability of hand-held cellular phones over the last five years, most of the world's LDCs have made a quantum leap forward from one extreme to another: from no landline phones to an abundance of wireless phones.

In its landmark Brussels programme of action (BPoA) adopted at a conference of LDCs in the Belgium capital in May 2001, the United Nations set a target for infrastructure development: increasing average telephone density in LDCs to five main lines per 100 inhabitants and internet connections to 10 users per 100 inhabitants by the year 2010.

In a report to the two-day high level meeting on LDCs Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says "access to telephones and computers in LDCs has increased rapidly, suggesting that targets for telephone density and internet connections in the BPoA might be met."

"Dissemination of these technologies has reached rural areas and even the poorest," Annan said, pointing out that evidence suggests that use of such technologies has had a direct impact on poverty through various channels.

Although "LDCs remain far behind the rest of the world in the use of new technologies," he noted, "the recent progress demonstrates the speed with which information and communications technologies can be introduced, and how they can improve the welfare of individuals in LDCs, including by reducing poverty and gender inequality."

More information on Asia Tribune at http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2045

The International Telecommunication Union ITU has stated that an increase in connectivity has been recorded on ICT/Telecommunication development in least developed countries (LDCs). ITU report released in New York examines key developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunications sector including trends and challenges in the world's poorest countries in the period 2001 to 2005. ITU's findings reveal that considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide and that teledensity targets set by the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) have been met by 25 of the 50 LDCs.

The ITU report was unveiled during a special session on "Integrating Least Developed Countries (LDCs) into the world economy through telecommunications/ICT" held during the Mid-Term Review on implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the decade 2001-2010.

More information in All Africa.com http://allafrica.com/stories/200609210464.html

National teledensity figures and overall connectivity are being improved in so-called "least developed countries (LDCs)," mostly due to widespread increases in wireless subscriptions instead of fixed telephone lines.

According to a recently released report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), development of the information, communication technology and telecom sectors among 50 of the LDCs between 2001 to 2005 show teledensity has more than doubled in the majority of such nations, with some boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times following rapid growth in the deployment of wireless technologies. The report, according to the ITU, generally reveals that "considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide" and that teledensity targets set by what is known at the organization as the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) have been met by 25 of the 50 LDCs.

More information on Telecom WEB at http://www.telecomweb.com/tnd/19275.html

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is making significant inroads in its attempt to bridge the digital gap between the rest of the world and 50 of the globe's poorest economies.

According to a recent ITU report, 25 of 50 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have met the information and communication technology (ICT) connectivity targets set out in the Brussels Plan of Action for Least Developed Countries. The ITU report monitors developments between 2001 and 2005, in the global ICT sector including trends and challenges in the world's poorest countries.

A majority of LDCs have boosted ICT connectivity by as much as 20-fold over the last six years, leading to improvement in areas such as mobile telephony and Internet access.

In fact, developments in mobile telephony made a noticeable impact, with the market segment steadily outpacing fixed lines in terms of growth and market penetration.

Cosmas Zavazava, head of the ITU's unit for LDCs, small island development states and emergency telecommunications, said: "The mobile sector in LDCs has grown considerably against fixed lines over the last few years, and the number of mobile subscribers almost doubled in 2005.

"It recorded a significant annual growth of 82 percent from 2000 to 2005, compared with 12 percent in the fixed-line sector," Zavazava said.

More information on ZDNet Asia at http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,61953026,00.htm

The International Telecommunication Union says ICT/Telecommunication development in least-developed countries (LDCs) is ramping up,a nd that the digitaal divide is being bridghed s a result.

The report examines key developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunications sector including trends and challenges in the world's poorest countries in the period 2001 to 2005. ITU's findings reveal that considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide and that teledensity targets set by the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) have been met by 25 of the 50 LDCs.

The ITU report was unveiled during a special session on "Integrating Least Developed Countries (LDCs) into the world economy through telecommunications/ICT" held during the Mid-Term Review on implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the decade 2001-2010.

More information on Mediacaster, Toronto, Canada at http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=60226&issue=09152006&btac=no

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “teledensity” has more than doubled in the majority of least developed countries (LDCs) since 2000 with some of them boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times, thanks to rapid growth in the deployment of mobile technologies.

According to ITU statistics, LDCs with the highest annual growth rate in terms of cellular subscribers over the period 2000-2005 were Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Niger, Liberia, Mali, Sudan, Yemen and Laos. Prepaid services, accounting for almost 90 per cent of the entire market, have contributed to the explosive expansion of the mobile sector in LDCs. In Afghanistan, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Haiti, Somalia and Niger all mobile subscriptions were prepaid.

Overall, access to the internet has increased and more interest is on deployment of broadband services in rural areas. By 2005, internet user penetration caught up with fixed line penetration in LDCs, providing access to a host of applications, such as e-education, e-health, e-business, e-agriculture, and e-government.

Despite recent progress, LDCs continue to face major challenges. Many established policies and regulations have become obsolete, leading to inefficient and increasingly untenable restrictions and barriers to the development, the ITU said in a news release, calling on policy makers and regulators to address these gaps.

More information on e-Gov Monitor at http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/7627

The International Telecommunication Union has launched a report in New York today on ICT/Telecoms development in least developed countries (LDCs). The ITU report was unveiled during a special session of the Mid-Term Review on implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the 2001-2010. It reveals that considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide and that teledensity targets set by the Brussels Programme have been met by 25 of the 50 identified LDCs.

According to the ITU, teledensity has more than doubled in the majority of least developed countries since 2000 with some of them boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times, due to rapid growth in the deployment of mobile technologies. The race towards universal access has been mainly led by Small Island Developing States such as Cape Verde, Maldives and Samoa, as well as small-to-average sized countries such as Gambia, Lesotho, and Mauritania, some of which have achieved teledensities of up to 44 lines per 100 inhabitants surpassing many developing countries.

More information on Telecom TV at http://www.telecomtv.com/news.asp?cd_id=7241

Considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide in the world’s least developed countries, the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says in a new report.

According to the ITU (ITU), “teledensity” has more than doubled in the majority of least developed countries (LDC) since 2000 with some of them boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times, thanks to rapid growth in the deployment of mobile technologies.

According to ITU statistics, LDCs with the highest annual growth rate in terms of cellular subscribers over the period 2000-2005 were Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Niger, Liberia, Mali, Sudan, Yemen and Laos. Prepaid services, accounting for almost 90 per cent of the entire market, have contributed to the explosive expansion of the mobile sector in LDCs. In Afghanistan, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Haiti, Somalia and Niger all mobile subscriptions were prepaid.

More information on UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19830&Cr=information&Cr1=technology

According to the International Telecommunication Union "teledensity" has more than doubled in the majority of least developed countries since 2000 with some of them boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times, thanks to rapid growth in the deployment of mobile technologies.

According to ITU statistics, LDCs with the highest annual growth rate in terms of cellular subscribers over the period 2000-2005 were Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Niger, Liberia, Mali, Sudan, Yemen and Laos. Prepaid services, accounting for almost 90 per cent of the entire market, have contributed to the explosive expansion of the mobile sector in LDCs. In Afghanistan, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Haiti, Somalia and Niger all mobile subscriptions were prepaid.

Overall, access to the internet has increased and more interest is on deployment of broadband services in rural areas. By 2005, internet user penetration caught up with fixed line penetration in LDCs, providing access to a host of applications, such as e-education, e-health, e-business, e-agriculture, and e-government.

Despite recent progress, LDCs continue to face major challenges. Many established policies and regulations have become obsolete, leading to inefficient and increasingly untenable restrictions and barriers to the development, the ITU said in a news release, calling on policy makers and regulators to address these gap.

More info at http://www.harolddoan.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1949

The International Telecommunication Union launched a report in New York today on ICT/Telecommunication development in least developed countries (LDCs). The report examines key developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunications sector including trends and challenges in the world’s poorest countries in the period 2001 to 2005. ITU’s findings reveal that considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide and that teledensity targets set by the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) have been met by 25 of the 50 LDCs says a press release.

More information on The New Nation, Bangladesh's Independent News Source at http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_30764.shtml

During the past five years, many of the least developed countries (LDCs) have made remarkable progress in achieving the ICT connectivity targets set out in the Brussels Plan of Action for Least Developed Countries. Mobile telephony and Internet connectivity have improved, and state-of-the-art information and communication technologies (ICT) are empowering people to achieve their development aspirations through information and knowledge.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) launched a report in New York today on ICT/Telecommunication development in least developed countries (LDCs). The report examines key developments in the ICT sector including trends and challenges in the world’s poorest countries in the period 2001 to 2005.

ITU’s findings reveal that considerable progress has been made to bridge the digital divide and that teledensity targets set by the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) have been met by 25 of the 50 least developed countries (LDCs).

The ITU report was unveiled during a special session on "Integrating LDCs into the world economy through telecommunications/ICT" held during the Mid-Term Review on implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the decade 2001-2010.

According to ITU, tele-density has more than doubled in the majority of least developed countries since 2000 with some of them boosting connectivity by as much as 20 times, thanks to rapid growth in the deployment of mobile technologies. The race towards universal access in LDCs has been mainly led by Small Island Developing States such as Cape Verde, Maldives and Samoa and small to average sized countries such as Gambia, Lesotho, and Mauritania, some of which have achieved teledensities of up to 44 lines per 100 inhabitants surpassing many developing countries.

More information on SMBedge at http://www.smbedge.com/news/view.php?cid=12&id=5436

UNESCO alongside other partners like the Government of Benin, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNDP supported a training course offered by the Malanville Community Telecentre.

“Everything has changed in the way I do business, for example the inventory – it used to take me three to four days to by hand what I do now do in a half day. Thanks to the computer I know what I have in stock, what customers are buying, and it is easy to track my business from day to day,” says Soufiane Gao, a small business owner in the town of Malanville in northern Benin.

“During the awareness raising process, we realised that there was a need for better business practices among many local merchants; however when it came to learning, as soon as we started talking about using different software and things like opening windows, they were not at all interested. In time, we set about a process to observe local merchants in their shops and we started to understand their operations and to identify their specific needs. We created a series of tools especially for them using the Excel software, for example, one for the stock, one for cash receipts. We put together a very practical course for them,” explains Mora, the telecentre coordinator.

Following the course, Mr Gao became a regular telecentre user. Convinced of the utility of new technologies like those he was exposed to at the Malanville telecentre, Mr Gao eventually purchased his own computer, which is now on the desk in the middle of his dry goods shop in Malanville’s busy market.

The Malanville telecentre, which began operations in 2003, runs a variety of training courses and offers a range of services, from public telephone to photocopying to computer maintenance for local offices and businesses. Some 750 people from the local area have learned basic computing skills thanks to the community telecentre.

The centre has also designed special courses and programmes, for instance, the centre offers a special course and has identified (and stored) specific content for students of Arabic: learners use materials form Arabic language websites and locally produced learning aids and are also able to make virtual visits to important pilgrimage sites. The telecentre team is now preparing a new course for local merchants.

Soufiane Gao is a community-minded businessman who is also the president of the radio society for the FM station in Gaya, a town across the Niger river in neighbouring Niger. “I have even started to design my own tools,” he explains, while showing off the Excel sheets he uses to monitor his business activities. “I am proud because after taking the course, when others come to see me, I am able to show them the advantages of using a computer.”

Unfortunately, the Malanville Community Telecentre may face some tough days ahead due to an unclear ownership structure and reliance on project funds, which are all but depleted. However the addition of a community radio in Malanville promises new opportunities in the area of local information and communication and the community is discussing ways to renew their vision of a locally owned and operated centre. Moreover if the story of Soufiane Gao is any indication, community-based communication and information facilities like the Malanville Telecentre clearly serve a valuable role in the economic and social life of the local community, no doubt the first ingredient of viability.

More information on UNESCO at http://portal.unesco.org/ci/fr/ev.php-URL_ID=22676&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html