Australian Development Gateway

The Australian Development Gateway (ADG) strives to support members of the development community in their efforts to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. The site has been created with participation from members of government, private, academia and non-government organisations. User feedback mechanisms have been incorporated to guide future directions of the site. The site is optimised for low bandwidth access to enable the widest participation throughout the Asia Pacific region.

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ICT project management

Checkpoint 3: appropriate form of ICT

Is the form of ICT to be deployed appropriate in terms of cost, support and maintenance?

Is the new form of communication compatible with existing information flows?

Appropriate forms of ICT refer to effective combinations of low cost and innovative technologies. Important design features are:

  • simple configuration & operation
  • easy to use
  • equipment complies with existing standards
  • use of appropriate frequencies
  • long lifecycle
  • capacity for remote network management
  • low power requirements

Examples are the use of short wave, high frequency radio to deliver e-mail messages to people in isolated rural communities through the People First Network in the Solomon Islands.

Another example of an appropriate form of ICT is the use by n-Logue of low-cost wireless local loops to connect village kiosks in India over a 20-kilometer diameter region to a central node. The nodes are then linked to the Internet and the phone system. Shared access at the kiosk and shared spectrum at the central node concentrates digital traffic to ensure high levels of usage and low costs.

 

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