chlenEthically Challenged Premium Member join:2001-01-16 Saratoga, NY
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chlen
Premium Member
2008-Sep-9 11:12 am
This can be an amazing thing.For those of you not writing policy, implementing it or doing anything productive let me educate you a little.
Google providing any kind of internet service to areas such as Africa is an incredibly powerful device in creating the need for computers and more advanced economic markets, the results of which are more stable government and infrastructure developments.
Example.
Not too long ago most people in Africa had to go to special places to make phone calls, or trade. In order to get contacts in large capitals, they had to find a way there, make small orders and basically continue subsitance.
Cell phones have revolutionized the continent. Most of even remote areas of Africa especially in the west are able to get cheap cell phone service. This allows people to connect at a fraction of the cost and more then 1/3 of all people on the continent have access to a cell phone, whether they own one or have one in the family. The cost is next to nothing, and this allows for trade integration. Large commercial firms are able to communicate with remote farms, distribution centers and such. Botswana, Angola, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria are all very good examples of this. They have all been posting positive GDP gains in remote areas and creating a modern supply infrastructure for trade.
More importantly.
Cell phone tower are relatively cheap to build and employ the local population and utilize local resources. They require training of skilled professionals, again from the local population. Cell phone towers require roads to them for servicing as well as electricity. Roads create more road and so on, in parallel vastly improving travel and ease, again increasing trade and decreasing the reliance on subsistence.
Since towers require electricity, power plants are built, lines are set up. Power to remote towers means there can now be water pumps, filtration and irrigation systems among many others that can be set up from these power lines. Previously there was no profitable reason to run power to non-urban areas. Obviously water/electrical/sanitation systems employ people from the local population and mass coordination of commodities can set up natural markets since farmers can form cooperatives and grow what is needed for the market instead of just for the village or their immediate area. It continues in this way. Cell phones, like computers are dirt cheap. They may not be using the top of the line phone, but it is more then adequate. Same would be at first with computers.
With all of this combined Africa has the highest uptake of cellphones in the world. It is by far the hottest market for them. In just the last 8 years 1/3 of all people on the continent own, use, and have access to cell phones. Many were saying why do they need cell phones when they dont have any food 8 years ago, but a growing cellphone infrastructure directly correlates to economic and quality of life improvements, as well as education. Because there is now electricity and connectivity to remote areas, schools and western non-profits like the red cross can easily coordinate aid, education, and other resources, specifically televisions with western media.
A massive deployment of broadband would further facilitate trade, education and infrastructure development, thus creating a more stable continent.
While Africa is very unstable it is much better then it was, directly correlated to the development of mass communication systems, which bring with them FDI (Foreign Direct Investment).
Next time some of you whine about why people are spending money in Africa to give them broadband, your answer is because it is incredibly practical, profitable and we all get a reward from it. The same was done in China and India, and both of them became more open and productive societies.
So communications systems contribute to.
Sanitation Water Delivery Agriculture Electricity Markets Stability Skilled Labor Foreign Investment
among many other things. |