Bridging the Digital Divide

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Paris, France, November 16 2006

The Digital Divide

Gap between those with and without regular, effective access and ability to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

10 more phones per 100 people == +0.6% GDP (gross domestic product) (Source: Africa: the impact of Mobile Phones report)

But which technology ?

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")

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

Gathering experts in the Digital Divide and experts in the Mobile Web

What : An International Workshop : http://www.w3.org/2006/07/MWI-EC/cfp.html
Who:
- NGOs with ground experience and expertise : kiwanja.net, ...
- Digital Divide Experts : TNO, Cern, MIT EPROM, ...
- Operators: Vodafone,...
- Handset Manufacturers: Nokia, Motorola,...
- Browser makers: Opera,...
- Software companies : Infosys, Sun,...
When and where : 5/6 December 2006, Bangalore, India, Hosted by Jataayu Software
Sponsors : (more needed, opportunities still open)
- Silver Sponsor: TNO
With financial support from the European Commission's IST Programme under the 3GWeb project

Let's hear what the experts think !