MEDIA ADVISORY: Using Low-Cost Technologies to "Connect the Unconnected"

The Digital World Forum EU project presents its findings and future work plans on 30 September 2009, in Brussels

// -- 11 September 2009 - The Digital World Forum (DWF) EU project is holding its closing event on Wednesday 30 September 2009, in Brussels, Belgium. The goal of this one-day event is to present the project's findings and to recommend future directions of work to help bridge the digital divide. The DWF project partners have explored the use of low-cost technologies to "connect the unconnected". They focused their research work on topics related to:

• mobile Web for development (led by the W3C Mobile Web Initiative),
• low-cost access devices (led by CSIR/Meraka),
• and low-cost broadband infrastructure (led by Orange Labs).

This event, free of charge, will include talks, debates, and panel sessions about the potential of one or more of the above mentioned low-cost technologies in development, and the need for future funding and research. Invited keynote speakers will provide perspectives from the academic, industry and ICT for development domains. They include: Jean-François Soupizet, Deputy Head of the International Relations Unit in the European Commission; Serge Ferré, Nokia Vice-President; Ashok Jhunjhunwala, IUT Madras Professor; Charles McCathieNevile, Opera Software Chief Standards Officer; Nii Quaynor, ICANN Director; Georges Sadowsky, Digital Divide Expert; and Joy Tang, oneVillage Foundation President. Additional speakers are expected to be confirmed shortly and will appear on the agenda page.

The DWF partners wish to thank the Gold Sponsor Nokia for its generous support of this meeting. The sponsorship program is designed to enable participation by individuals and organizations with particular expertise, but who might not otherwise be able to attend due to travel costs. The deadline for taking part in this opportunity is 21 September 2009.

ICT Access to Foster Social and Economic Development

ICTs are a great opportunity for the developing world. Providing minimal services (health, education, business, government, etc.) to rural communities and under-privileged populations is of major importance to improve people lives, and to sustain development.

But, how to better connect people in developing countries? How can they directly benefit from access to ICT? Which easy-to-use device will help rural communities in their daily lives? What are the most promising broadband technologies to solve the "last mile" issue? What are the challenges to make the mobile Web accessible, relevant, usable and useful in development actions? All these questions and more were tackled by the DWF partners during the course of the project and answers will be reported at this closing event.

Logistics and Contact Information

Date: Wednesday 30 September 2009

Time: from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Location: The International Auditorium, Boulevard du Roi Albert II, No. 5 / 2, 1210 Brussels, Belgium (Tel.: +32 (0)2 2240254)

Registration: All participants must register in advance, using the online registration form. There is no registration fee.

Event's Web page: //events/68-final (includes links to the full agenda, the list of speakers, the sponsorship package, and the press corner)

Press Contacts:

• Elodie Laloum, Agence RP Melodik, < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >, +33 1 42 01 74 54
• Marie-Claire Forgue, W3C, < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >, +33 6 76 86 33 41

About the Digital World Forum [DWF]

The Digital World Forum on Accessible and Inclusive ICT ('Digital World Forum') is a FP7 European project focusing on the use of ICT to leverage economic development in Africa and Latin America. Providing minimal services (health, education, business, government, etc.) to rural communities and under-privileged populations is of major importance to improve people lives, and to sustain development. The objectives of the DWF project is to demonstrate that using ICT is the easiest and possibly only way to develop and deploy those basic services in developing countries.

Managed by ERCIM, DWF is run by the following 6 partners: W3C Mobile Web Initiative, Orange Labs, CiberVoluntarios, CSIR/Meraka Institute, oneVillage Foundation, Kusamotu&Kusamotu. For more information, see //