The Mobile Web to bridge the Digital Divide

Stéphane Boyera

http://www.w3.org/2006/11/mwi_workshop_intro/all.htm

W3C Workshop on the Mobile Web in Developing Countries

Bangalore, India, December 5 2006

Outline

• W3C: Organization, Vision, History
• ICT to sustain development
• The Mobile Web to bridge the Digital Divide
• Challenges
• Potential Enablers
• Workshop Agenda

W3C: Leading the Web to its Full Potential

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

• W3C Provides the Vision and the Standards to Lead the Web:

From a Web of Documents ... ... toward One Web: of Data and Services on Everything for Everyone

(Membership / Benefits / New "At a Glance" brochure)

W3C Initiatives

• Working on Technologies
  • new specifications for identified gaps
  • association of technologies to reach a specific goal
• Working on Key Enabling Factors :
  • Outreach
  • Guidelines
  • Tools and Resources : validators, checkers, ...
  • Training
  • ...
• Concerted effort of Key Players and Actors of the Domain

W3C: History

• 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

Next Step : the Web for All

• 2006: W3C to help bridging the Digital Divide and help the majority to access the Web ?

(Photo Source : The Economist )

ICT to sustain development

	E-gov. Services Education Health Banking Communities services Business ... 10 more phones per 100 people == +0.6% GDP (gross domestic product) (Source: Africa: the impact of Mobile Phones report)
(Photo Source: Der Spiegel)

But which technology ?

Why the Mobile Web?

• Mobile Network is there
  • 80% of the planet covered by GSM

  

Why the Mobile Web? (2)

• Mobile Phones are there

  	India: Penetration rate of PC: 2% stable - Mobile Phone 11% increasing 47% per year China: Penetration rate of PC: 8% - Mobile Phone 30% Morocco: 4 fixed-line/100 people (4 in 1995) - 24 mobile lines (0 in 1995) >2 billions of people have access to a mobile phone +1 million/day expected 4 billions by the end of 2010
  (Photo Source: Vodafone)	(Sources: World Bank, "Africa: The impact of mobile phones - March 2005", "Market Trends: PC Penetration Data Highlights Market Maturity, Gartner April 2005" and "Universal Access Report by GSM Association, October 2006")

Why the Mobile Web? (3)

• Successful pre-Web Mobile Applications

  	Banking without bank Read the story about banking A full report on mobile-banking by GSMA NGOs-run SMS based system: e-gov, business (market poll), health, ... Read the story Read the case study WAP access : BBC Wap site: " I'm in Uganda and the only access I have 2 the outside world is this pinhole 2 info" Ugandan texter to the BBC Read the story
  (Photo Source: Vodafone)

The Mobile Web to unify, develop and enhance these successful stories

Challenges ?

• Let's listen to all the talks on :
  • Mobile Applications
  • Network Technologies
  • Fieldwork
  • Technologies
  • UI Design Specificities

Enabling Factors ?

• Last part of the Workshop: concerted discussion on next steps and how W3C can help

Conclusion

• Thanks to our sponsors !
  • Platinum Sponsor:
  • Silver Sponsor: TNO
  • With financial support from the European Commission's IST Programme under the 3GWeb project
• Thanks to our host: Jataayu Software
• Let's start !

Workshop Agenda

• Few words by Sir Tim Berners-Lee
• Introductory Movie by S. de Gennaro
• Panel on Mobile Applications
• Panel on Network Technologies
• Breakout Session
• Panel on Fieldwork
• Panel on Technologies
• Panel on UI Design
• Next Steps and Workshop output