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W3C Mobile Web for Social Development Program

Stéphane Boyera

http://www.w3.org/2008/08/sb_msoc08/

mSociety 2008

Antalya, Turkey, September 19 2008

Outline

W3C: Leading the Web to its Full Potential

Founded by Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee in 1994 ...

Graph of Globe
  • 1994: Creation of W3C for standardization and interoperability of Web technologies
  • 1997: Creation of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI): To make the Web Accessible
  • 2005: Creation of the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI): To Access the Web from Mobile Phones
  • 2008: Creation of the Mobile Web for Social Development Interest Group (MW4D) to investigate the role of the Mobile Web to bridge the Digital Divide

The Web in the World

ICT for Development

An Indian Monk with a mobile phone
  • ICT: a cheap and scalable solution to bridge historical divides:
    • Access to health services
    • Access to education
    • Access to finance services
    • Access to employment
    • Access to government Services
    • Access to information
    • Access to trade and commerce
    • ...
(Photo Source: Der Spiegel)

How to provide access to ICT?

Can Mobile phones be an ICT platform? How?

a child with a fake mobile phone
(Photo Source : The Economist )

Proof of Concept

sms based system to get the market price for goods
  • Many Success Stories
    • m-banking
    • agriculture
    • government
    • ....
  • But
    • lots of activities but still disconnected
    • a limited impact at the Worldwide level
    • high barriers for grass-root/non-profit
    • high barriers for the BOP
(Photo Source: Vodafone)

W3C Vision

W3C Mobile Web for Social Development (MW4D)

Service Development challenges

Access Challenges

Audience

MW4D Expected Results

MW4D Factsheet

MW4D Status

About Digital World Forum

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Conclusion

Come and join MW4D work !

Stay tuned about the announcement of the next MW4D workshop

References