Jamaica to provide Internet access to poor communities
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Jamaica&#39;s government says it plans to provide free Internet access in poor communities across the island. The e-Jamaica initiative will establish 60 Internet centres across the country by 2010, mostly in post offices.
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Advanced Micro Devices has unveiled a stripped-down, low-cost computing device as part of a plan to move into developing markets. The chip maker aims to provide 50 per cent of the world with internet and computing
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U.S. chip maker Advanced Micro Devices  AMD.N has unveiled a low-cost Internet access device that  could cost just a few hundred dollars, aimed at first-time  technology users in the developing world.
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The $328 million project will help countries plan or install free computer and Internet access in libraries.
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By Christie Smythe, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.  Sep. 9--WEST BARNSTABLE -- The "Unwired Village" project in Orleans,  offering wireless Internet service, is off to a running start after launching  in June.
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ARAHUAY, Peru -- Doubts about whether poor, rural children really can benefit from quirky little computers evaporate as quickly as the morning dew in this hilltop Andean village, where 50 primary school children got machines from the One Laptop Per Child project six months ago.
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Electricity available day and night is due to come online for a small island community for the first time.
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Nearly half a million people across Africa will soon be able to make mobile calls in a bid to tackle rural poverty.
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A combined PC, telephone and television is being used in aid projects in India.
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JiWire will offer iPhone and iPod Touch users ad-supported Wi-Fi Internet access for free in select locations.
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Group seeks to promote development through microfinance, using open-source software.
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In many poor and emerging countries, the lack of banking infrastructure but widespread use of mobile phones has created a business opportunity that network operators are keen to exploit.
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PC World editors from around the globe report on how people in their countries connect to the Internet.
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BOMBAY - US chip maker Advanced Micro Devices has unveiled a low-cost Internet access device that could cost just a few hundred dollars, aimed at first-time technology users in the developing world.
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The One Laptop Per Child organisation sets up a program to deliver laptops to the poorest US children.
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(InfoWorld) - Two global telecommunication organizations have agreed to collaborate in boosting mobile phone access in developing countries. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an arm of the United Nations responsible for telecommunications issues, and the GSM Association (GSMA), which represents the interests of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) operators, will work together in several areas, including projects aimed at low-cost access to mobile phone services, the two organizations said Tuesday. While GSMA is keen to help its members penetrate huge developing markets such as Africa, the ITU sees wireless as a relatively quick and cost-efficient way to provide phone service to people in countries lacking traditional fixed-line telephone infrastructure. The two organizations will focus on three primary areas: low-cost access to phone service, industry and government cooperation in planning and financing, and industry benchmarking. To help spur low-cost access to mobile phone services, GSMA and ITU will draw on programs each has established for developing markets and identify projects in which the two groups can pool their expertise and resources. While the GSMA has created its own development fund andÂ introduced contestsÂ to encourage the development of low-cost handsets, the ITU has launched its Connect the World initiative, a project to reduce the digital divide. Together, GSMA and ITU also intend to forge partnerships with governments and companies to assist with planning and investment. A key goal will be to establish a regulatory environment to safeguard investments in emerging markets and pursue innovative approaches for theÂ use of universal services fundsÂ to expand wireless access in rural and remote communities. Universal service funds are used mostly by governments in developing countries to subsidize the rollout of telecommunications services. Last year, GSMA estimated that governments in 15 countries have collected $6 billion for their universal service funds, including $2 billion that came from levies on mobile operators. Of this amount, governments have spent $1.6 billion, leaving billions untouched. As for industry benchmarking, both GSMA and ITU have huge statistical databases, which they intend to use to help create key industry and performance indicators for improving decision-making. Last week, GSMA published a study claiming that consumers and businesses in numerous developing countries are paying too much for international calls. Authors of the study call for introducing competition in international gateway services, a move that they claim could reduce call prices by up to 90 percent. The use of mobile phone technology to connect people will be a focus of the GSM World Congress, which begins next week in Barcelona.
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Blog: The United Nations and a group of U.S. organizations work together to bring the latest medical information to health professionals in poor countries free via the Internet.