Information & Communication Technologies: Who gets to play?

Rohan SamarajivaPresentation at UNDP Global Meeting on ICT4D, Ottawa, 9-12 July 2003

ICTs, knowledge work & human development

ICT is not synonym for knowledge ICTs are a necessary, but not

sufficient, condition for effective knowledge work in 21st century

Knowledge is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for development

Necessary but not sufficient . . .

Information and Communication Technologies

+ other inputs

Effective knowledge work at present time

+ other work

Human development

Where are we with ICTs & where do we go?

Sri Lanka in Asia, as example Current comparison is purposely

arbitrary ICT levels/broadband generally

correlated with GDP per capita But the e Sri Lanka bet is that ICT can

cause wealth to increase; that we need not and should not wait for wealth to give us more ICTs/broadband

Where does Sri Lanka stand?GDP p.c Pop.

per km2

Fixed/100 pop

CAGR,’95-01

Korea 10,036 475 48.75 2.6

Malaysia 3,869 71 19.58 2.8

Sri Lanka 882 286 4.43 24.7

India 459 324 3.75 19.5

Pakistan 427 180 2.33 5.7

Nepal 239 161 1.31 21.3

Where does Sri Lanka stand?

GDP p.c.

Mobile/100 pop

CAGR, ’95-01

Payph/1k

Korea 10,036 62.08 61.4 10.68

Malaysia 3,869 31.42 39.7 6.87

Sri Lanka

882 3.56 53.4 0.66

India 459 0.63 109.2 1.06

Pakistan 427 0.56 64.5 0.45

Nepal 239 0.08 -- 0.04

Where does Sri Lanka stand?

GDP p.c I hosts /10k(’01)

I’net users/10k (‘01)

Korea 10,036 94.01 5210.52

Malaysia 3,869 31.10 2731.09

Sri Lanka

882 1.22 80.08

India 459 0.81 68.16

Pakistan 427 0.78 34.49

Nepal 239 0.67 26.39

Infrastructure policy priorities

With regard to fixed telephony only? Mobiles? Anything but circuit-switched (ABC)? Internet access? Internet “publication”? To enable E-commerce? To enable E-government?

Why focus on e-government?

It’s the most complicated If e-gov is done, e-commerce (& the rest)

automatically done Network and connectivity challenge is

greatest with e-government Allows focus on “usable knowledge” in local

languages Addresses the chicken and egg problem of

Internet access and content Reduces distortion of market signals

e Sri Lanka Infrastructure: Vishva Grama Fund

Multi-service platforms in under-served areas Least-cost subsidy auctions to leverage

private investment Vishva Gnana Kendra enabling access

through intermediaries to e government services Communication services Education , etc.

Resources & contacts www.esrilanka.lk http://www.ssrc.org/programs/itic/itst/ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/ink/kno

wledge.html Rohan Samarajiva

Samarajiva@lirne.net +94 1 34 67 27 (fax) +94 1 47 87 33 (voice)