The Future of Telecenter Sustainability: A Multi-Sector and Multi-Stakeholder Approach

IREX Speaker Series: Technology Serving Civil Society Presents KLAUS STOLL Senior Executive Vice President, Community Access Foundation On The Future of Telecenter Sustainability: A Multi-Sector and Multi-Stakeholder Approach

Why is Telecenter Sustainability still such an important topic? We are in the middle of the Digital revolution and our goal has to be for social, political and economical reasons to make ICT’s accessible to all and in particular to those who are not fortunate to life in the so called developed world. Telecenters in their widest sense and definition have proofed beside all their shortcomings as the best model we could come up with to reach the underprivileged masses. Like everything, Telecenters need to be sustainable to be effective and that is why Telecenter is such an important topic.

What is a Telecenter? Telecenters are simply public places where ICT’s can be accessed with the goal of individual and community improvement and development. These places can be described generically as PIAP’s, Public ICT Access Points.

Basic Telecenter Types:

Telecenters INC. Telecenters Cybercafés

Lessons Learned

Telecenter sustainability means more than financial sustainability.

Connectivity alone does not make a Telecenter.

Each Telecenter has to develop and implement its own particular sustainability model as each community is different.

Don’t let us forget the basics: Training

The service model only seems to be working well if it is done in the framework of Telecenters Inc.

All sectors of Society have to be involved in one form or another to obtain Telecenter Sustainability.

The world does not stop at the Telecenter door. . In order for a community to appropriate and make strategic use of the ICT’s, we have to have the real world physical framework in place.

The 3 elements of E-Exclusion

Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs in the developing world are for very practical reasons, often excluded from participating in any form of e-commerce. As a result, they are also excluded from using e-commerce as a tool for business growth and development. Their exclusion can be ascribed to three main Elements of Exclusion

Lack of access to effective and affordable logistical ICT based channels

Lack of access to training, tools and services on utilization

Lack of access to credit

We can describe these elements as the three C’s: Channel, capacity and credit and as long as we don’t find and implement a way to overcome these Elements of Exclusion the use of ICT’s for Economical development will we impossible for the majority .

Excursion, Part 2: How the iMallsAmericas business model overcomes the 3 elements of E-Exclusion

The iMallsAmericas business model solution provides:

A two way logistical channel enabling merchants to both purchase and sell, and actually send and receive goods and products locally, nationally, regionally and internationally by using common Internet-based technology in a unique and fully integrated process.

A fully integrated training program for Telecenters, entrepreneurs and local business community members.

Micro-credit services enabling Telecenters and their constituents to cooperate with local Credit Unions, merchants and consumers through banking affiliations to facilitate Internet purchases.

Business development services and tools for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and especially young people, who want to become entrepreneurs, with a business goal of helping local merchants prepare for and participate in e-commerce.

Checklist for telecenter sustainabilty