[Telecentres] Sustainability and Scaling-Up Concerns
Anne-Catherine Yon
ayon at cometeinternational.org
Wed Oct 13 01:07:08 BST 2004
Klaus,
Thanks a lot for thinking aloud. I found it very useful and will be
sharing it, after translation, with our partners in Congo-Brazzaville,
who are struggling right now for defining the business model of the
school-based telecenter. I am sure that it will raise a lot of
discussions.
On your last point, you highlighted the lack of a structured and
professional network of telecenters that would give them the voice they
lack until now. However there have been a few networks like the EUTA,
quoted by Gaspar Matyas, or somos at telecentros in Latin America, quoted
by you. So what do you think prevent telecenters to move further and to
organize themselves in a global association? It's not as if we were
started from nowhere. There are now some years of experiences worldwide
on telecenters development, of every type, success stories as failures,
professional people in this field, regional and national networks, etc.
Some global associations have started with less than that! If there is a
true expectation for a global network from telecenters, I don't
understand what prevents to do it... just a leader to start the move
maybe.
Regards
Anne-Catherine Yon
-----Message d'origine-----
De : telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org
[mailto:telecentres-bounces at wsis-cs.org] De la part de
klaus at chasquinet.org
Envoyé : mardi 12 octobre 2004 19:36
À : telecentres at wsis-cs.org
Objet : Re: [Telecentres] Sustainability and Scaling-Up Concerns
Dear Friends
Some late remarks regarding Sustainability, Up-Scaling, and all that.
Just thinking aloud, sorry it might be a long one. But nevertheless,
what do you
think?.
Question: Can Telecenters be financially sustainable?.
Answer: I think the answer to this is based on our experiences in Latin
America and
other parts of the world is "No" if the business model of the telecenter
is just based
on the sale of traditional telecenter services based on connectivity
like browsing,
email, chat, VoIP, and the answer is still "No" if other non internet
based services
like photo-copying, secretarial services or training are included.
Thesis: The role of Telecenters is not to bridge the so called "digital
divide" (sorry
for swearing in an public email) by providing connectivity services but
the role of a
telecenter is to act as a agent for social and economical development.
Question: So how can a telecenter be sustainable?.
Answer: Telecenters have to base their business plan on being an agent
for social
and economical development.
Question: How can Telecenters do that?
Answer: In nearly every community in which telecenters are based exists
"capital"
and the role of the telecenter is to help the community to free and
develop this
capital in order to achieve social and economic development with the
help of the
tools the ICT's are offering.
Thesis: In order to build up its business plan each telecenter has to
identify the
capital of its community and offer besides the traditional connectivity
based
services specifics services that aid the social and economic development
of its
community. As it turns out these services can not be developed by a
single
telecenter and they have to be developed by networks of telecenters
(kind of
services and structure, see below). This creates an additional income
stream that is
sustained because it is feed from the direct financial gains a community
receives
through the new services.
Question: Will a single telecenter that based his business plan on
social and
economical development be sustainable?.
Answer: With luck and hard work, maybe.
Thesis: One telecenter alone is an island, a network of telecenters is a
market place
for social and economic development.
Question: Why should a Telecenter be part of a network of telecenters
and which
implication has the network membership of a telecenter for its financial
sustainability?.
Answer: Telecenters that basically operate on their own and just in
their own
community have a very limited "market" for their services aiding social
and
economic development, and anyway the nature of the new ICT's as
communication
tools is contrary to an isolated development of a Telecenter.
Telecenters should be part of a network of telecenters because:
a) as the example of Somos at Telecentros in Latin America shows,
Telecenters can
be established and run cheaper if the receive the support from a network
of
Telecenters.
b) a network of telecenters creates a internal market-place that can be
used by the
individual telecenters that make up the network for social and economic
development.
c) a network of telecenters creates the "critical mass", the market
place and
organizational structure that allows the private and governmental
sectors to engage
with the social sector and the communities.
d) only networks of telecenters can create and implement the conditions
and tools
that are really needed to aid social and economical development on a
local level.
Thesis: Networks of Telecenters are not just networks of mutual support
and interest
between telecenters but are a social enterprise, a business with the
goal to create
the right conditions for communities to exploit the tools ICT's offer
for social and
economic development.
The Telecenters and their networks have to engage with the private and
governmental sector in order to be sustainable.
For Telecenters in order to be effective in aiding social and economic
growth the
right conditions for their operation have to exist and the right ICT
tools (what tools,
see below) have to be available to the Telecenters. These conditions and
tools can
only be created and implemented in partnership with the private and
governmental
sector.
The engagement between the telecenters and the private and governmental
sector
has to be on the basis that:
a) Telecenters and their networks are not just seen by the private
sector as "a
market place" and "customers"
b) the governmental sector sees the telecenters not just as a tool to
boost their
connectivity statistics.
c) Telecenters and their networks also understand and the respect the
legitimate
needs, values and goals of the private and governmental sector.
Only when the social, private and governmental sector learn to see each
other as
partners with the common goal of social and economic development (each
in his
own way) can sustainability (each according to their own definition) in
each sector
be achieved.
Telecenters that do not engage with the private and governmental sector
through a
network Telecenters are not sustainable in the long run.
Governments (national and local) that do not engage with the local
telecenters
directly or through the telecenter networks fail in their obligation to
aid social and
economical development.
The private sector misses important business opportunities if it does
not engage
with the Telecenters and their networks.
Question: How can a Telecenter network be sustainable?
Answer: Not by depending on hand-outs and membership fees.
Basically a Telecenter Network has two income streams available that can
be
developed to sustain the network:
a) providing services to its members
b) providing services to the private and governmental sector
A telecenter network can do both things by creating the scale and
organization and
implementing the tools that allow the individual telecenters and their
users to fully
engage with the private and governmental sector and vice versa.
Regional Telecenter networks need to establish for example on-line
platforms that
do allow not only the local and national marketing and exchange of
information,
goods and services but also platforms that alow the flow of information,
goods and
services on a global level.
For this mechanisms have to be established that
a) allow the cheap and efficient transport of physical goods.
b) allow to adapt national laws, rules and regulations to the new
realities of a global
market based on ICT's
c) allow the free flow of remittances monies and financial services such
as health
insurances and pensions.
The Telecenter networks as social enterprises benefit directly
financially from the
flow of goods and services they create.
It now becomes clear why it is imperative that all sectors need to work
together to
make this happen, one or even two sectors co-operating alone can not do
it.
It now becomes also clear that we need to create regional, hemispheric
and global
networks of telecenters that co-operate with each other as social
enterprises. Only if
we have this structures in place telecenters can be real, sustainable
agents of social
and economic development. The creation of the Telecenters of the
Americas
Partnership that stretches from Alaska to the tip of Chile is a first
step in this
direction and I hope other regions will follow soon.
Question: So what about Up-scaling?.
Answer: Maybe a simplistic answer, but if the above structures and
mechanisms are
in place, each community will realize the importance of a telecenter and
they will be
as common and natural as television because nobody will want to be
without, and
we don't have to worry about sustainaiblity because the benefits far
outweigh the
costs and connectivity will become financially viable in places where it
never could
before.
Question: The private and governmental sector have realized the
importance and
significance of telecenters and try to implement their own telecenter
networks and
support structures, will this be effective in aiding social and economic
development?
Answer: Ah, the "Shortcut to Glory" model.
Isn't it frustrating when you sit in your office of a software or
hardware firm and you
look at the potential market Telecenters represent and you can not
access this
market because these Telecenters seem to have no sufficient
organizational
structure that would allow you to access and develop this market that
makes
economic sense for you?.
Isn't it frustrating when you sit in your governmental office and you
look at the
potential the telecenters offer for social and economic development, let
alone the
potential to finally connect all these rural areas no telco company will
ever touch
because it does not make business sense. But these telecenters and their
networks
are not playing ball and are not interested in implementing large scale
"top down,
one model fits all" networks of telecenters, instead the are talking
about "community
driven holistic sustainability models. Even more frustrating when this
World Bank
loan to "bridge the digital divide" that will solve all the problems is
so nice to come
by.
Isn't it natural that the private and governmental sector join together
and succumb
to the temptation to implement their own large scale telecenter networks
that open
up large markets and fulfil the private and governmental sector needs.
Isn't it
natural that of course the telecenters and their networks will be fully
consulted in
creating and implementing these networks and isn't it natural that at
the end only
those elements suggested by the Telecenters and their networks will be
implemented that fit the private and governmental sectors needs.
Why should we protest against these developments when its our own fault.
It is a
natural development as long as the Telecenters and their networks don't
get their
act together in creating national, regional, hemispheric and global
telecenter
networks that are professionally run as social enterprises that are
serious partners
for the private and governmental sector and not just the dependent
recipients of
hand-outs. You want to be taken serious, get serious!. This is also true
regarding
WSIS, yes its a disaster, but we allowed it to be a disaster because we
have not got
our act together and our input is dependant rather on coincidences then
organized
and informed. If we had our act together three years ago (as we could
have) we
would not be treated in the WSIS process like the poor relatives but
would have
been a serious partner all the others sectors had to respect and take
serious.
Lesson learned: we have to get our act together and be better then all
the rest
because we have a responsibility to each and one of the people who go to
the
telecenters in our communities in the hope to create a better live for
themselves. It
is all about them, not us!.
Thoughts just from the top of my head, sorry that it got so long.
Yours
Klaus
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