When East Meet Westin ICT4D

Onno W. PurboOnno@indo.net.idIDRC Sabbaticant

Acknowledgement Thank you IDRC

Richard Fuchs, Nancy, Steve, Renald, Kike, Peggy, Chaitali, Mireille, Heloise, Stephane, Jean-Claude, Bill, Sam, Laurent … etc.

It is a rare lifetime opportunity that not many people in Indonesia will experience it.

Thank you to my friends Basuki Suhardiman, Donny BU, Bona, Donny,

Adi, Noor, Heru Nugroho, Judith, etc .. Who _voluntarily_ work hard to help the community.

Disclaimer … I’m an engineer, not a social

scientist. I tend to simplify things ..

Past Experiences .. It is a long 10+ years process

Not instant

It is a self-finance process Not much support from the

Government No World Bank Funding No IMF Funding

Indonesia 1993 Internet Users Few Cybercafe None Schools on Internet None ICT books Few ICT Magazine Few

10+ Years Later, Today .. 7.5+ Million Indonesian Internet Users 5000+ WiFi outdoor installations 2000+ CyberCafes 1500+ schools on the Internet 1000+ Community Radio 20+ ICT Magazines Hundreds ICT Books Title Hundreds Local ICT Authors

CommunityGrassroot

Community Based

Self-Finance

The main questions .. How to sustain a development

process in ICT4D? How to liberate the people? Self-finance replication process?

Course of the Work Spent sometime at IDRC Ottawa (~4 Month)

Work @ Sandbox Install Various Linux Servers Install VoIP infrastructure Install WiFi infrastructure Train some of ICT4D Staffs

http://sandbox.bellanet.org/~onno Drafting two (2) books on WiFi & VoIP Participate in IDRC ICT4D Mailing List Manage wifi4d mailing list at dgroups.org

Course of the Work .. Participate in ICT4Poverty at Harvard, Sep 03 Participate in WSIS 2003, Dec 03 Participate in RSIS 2003, Dec 03 Conferences & workshops in Vientiane Laos

Mar 03, Kuala Lumpur Feb 04, Chennai Feb 04, Dhaka Feb 04, Johannesburg Mar 03 & Pretoria Mar 04

Publish paper / articles @ CERN Courier, i4d, ITID journal

Initiate movement to create an open source developers group in Indonesia

Example: Initiate Movement Started Early September 2003 as an idea

between Richard Fuchs, Nancy Smyth & Onno W. Purbo

Ideas on developing an open source programmer community in Indonesia.

It becomes Self-finance Open Source Development Servers Mailing list server Conserve Indonesian Internet Bandwidth Self-finance!

Groups.or.id 2600+ lists 65.000+ subscribers 50+ e-mail / second

Interact @ Policy Level

VisionGoals

ObjectivesStrategiesProjects

Success Stories

Share @GrassrootHow To?

Opportunities ..New Ideas ..

Strong Interest in VoIPNeighbourhoodNet

Interact With The Common MetroTV in Indonesia

SMS Responses Printed Media

Common Questions ..• What can they get / gain?• Can they make money?• Low cost?• Not in English please ..

In The News

VoIP

WiFi

Interact @ Internet http://sandbox.bellanet.org/~onno Wifi4d@dgroups.org

Requests for help, talk & workshop from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Benin, Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Mozambique etc …

What do I learn most .. hearing, observing, interacting with

many policy makers, researchers, practitioners, commons in both East & West.

It is neither the technology nor policy.

Rather the cultural experience that amaze me. Different way of thinking …

The cultural experience The bias The background experiences The surrounding environment

… lead to a different assumption about the basic survival skill & default problem solving.

Mis-match example .. Free Open Source Software Argument

Low Cost Developer Heaven

Vs US$3 Microsoft CD Usefulness of the Software

Political, Policy vs. Capacity Building

Success Story:Indonesia Digital Library Net In a library @US$300/year to buy

book. 80+ Staff @ US$30/month salary.

Supported by IDRC• Connecting 80+ Libraries

Yes, we have the platform nowBUT

Not much to fill it …..

MAIN ISSUEHow to produce the knowledge

producer?

Let’s lay out the strategy Use ICT to liberate people .. Self-finance replication process Encourage self-finance knowledge

producer

My Favorite Path High Impact

Maximize Bang For The Buck Minimal Outside Funding

Self-Finance if possible Sustainable

Unfortunate Consequences .. It is a long (10+ years) process Only those who have

Vision Believe Dedication Commitment

…… may survive on such path

The Options

Top Down vs. Bottom Up Supply Driven Encourage

Consume Written Law based Copyright Closed Source Project based Project funded Organized

Demand Driven Encourage Produce Consensus based Copyleft Open Source Community Movmt Self-funded Messy

Con’t .. Centralized Short Term Project Multinational

Investment

Telco Infrastructure

Supply Driven Multi National

Investment

Distributed Long Term Movement Collective Community

Investment

Community Based Infrastructure

Demand Driven Capacity Building

“What If No Telco Necessary?” Onno W. Purbo, CERN Courier July

2003

In The Past

All Owned by Big Players

DistinctionOperator vs. Customer

Past Regulatory Framework

Network Operator

Service Operator

Reseller

Customer

GovernmentLicense

Telco FirstCustomer Later

Supply FirstDemand Later

Today ..

Community Owned

Community Owned

Incumbent Owned

Regulatory Challenge

Network Operator

Service

Reseller

Community

Government

License

CommunityNetwork

CommunityNetwork

CommunityNetwork

Community FirstTelco Later

Demand FirstSupply Later

Self-Finance Replication .. Look at The Model .. Suggested Strategic Point

Self-FinanceDemand Creation

It can be a self-finance process

Development Injection For Development Agencies For Government

Dev. Injection

Networking Platform

Incentive for Authors

Facilitate Knowledge Distribution

Facilitate LinkBetween Manufacturer &

Demand

Subtle Influence The Policy

In The Past

Common

Parliament Government

OperatorInput

License

Service

Guidance

Community Movement

Government

CommunityEducation /Knowledge

Community Movement

Government

Community

ICT

ICT ICT

ICT

ICT

Community Movement

Government

Community

ICT

ICT ICT

ICT

ICT

Pressure

Pro Community Policy

Government

Community

ICT

ICT ICT

ICT

ICT

Pro-CommunityPro-PeoplePro-Poor

Policy

Keep in mind It is a long 10+ years of dedication

& development processes … SORRY BUT - Not much

celebration, parties, ribbon cutting, & spot lights …

Thank You Knowledge is power Share it It will multiply