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[WP3 Workshop] Low-cost Broadband Access & Infrastructure: Call for Papers
Call for papers on Low-cost Broadband Access & Infrastructure
Kampala, Uganda - May 4 and 5th 2009
Contribute to the future of low cost broadband access
and get invited to Kampala to attend
the workshop and the IST Africa Conference !
Key words
Broadband access, energy efficiency, rural Africa, low-cost technology, R&D roadmappingContext
In developing countries mobile telecommunication has made significant leaps forward in recent years. Yet in many of these countries broadband access remains the information society's poor relation. In Africa, for example, the average broadband penetration rate is just 1%.
Looking beyond the global economic context which inevitably restrains investment in infrastructure, the main reason for lack of progress is the prohibitive price of pubic services in relation to per capita GNP. These inappropriate tariffs are due essentially to a global undercapacity: underdeveloped landline networks, inadequate bandwidth on backbone and backhaul infrastructure, poor international IP transit…
DigitalWorld Forum
Aware of the importance of the information society for the economic, democratic and social development of under-equipped countries, the European Commission has supported and partly funded the creation of the Digital World Forum, a consortium of committed players eager to work on these issues and united by a shared ambition: "to connect the unconnected".
Experts are unanimous: given the high proportion of rural populations in these countries, high-cost fixed-line infrastructures are not the answer to the broadband access challenge. The Digital World Forum has consequently decided to consider a wider range of technologies that have the potential to deliver "broadband access for all”.
Call for Participation
In order to prioritise and attain its goals, the Digital World Forum is organising a workshop in Kampala on May 4-5, 2009. Its purpose is threefold:
- Identify the most suitable technologies for the specific needs of developing countries.
- Analyse the factors driving down the cost of alternate broadband access technologies.
- Provide input for R&D programs to improve existing technologies or promote new ones to meet the needs of local players.
To facilitate timely preparation of the workshop, we are now calling for submissions in order to nourish the seminar with written contributions. This call for papers is extended to all people concerned with these issues, such as operators, equipment makers, academics and regulatory authorities.
Attendance of the workshop is not required from contributors to this call for papers.
The workshop will take place in Uganda, in order to interact with the IST Africa 2009, which will take place there at the same time. But the issue addresses all developing countries, not specifically Uganda.
- Examples of ELIGIBLE THEMES for contributions (non-exhaustive list)
o Prospective studies, for example radical, technical and economic innovations, new business models, major changes in usages.
o Identification of emerging technologies and currently missing links.
o Spectrum management: analysis of licence allocation policies in developing countries, notably in Africa.
o Regulation policies: analysis of their impact on emerging broadband capacity (e.g. local loop unbundling, end of monopolies, etc.) in given countries.
o Adaptation of technologies to developing nations' specific needs: quantitative analysis, technology benchmarking, positive factors and constraints.
o Factors that can reduce the cost of potentially interesting technologies: Capex/Opex analysis, development cost modelling, etc.
o Technological elements of the ecosystem: related issues such as energy supply, and ways of limiting the cost of consumer service.
o Real case studies of "low-cost broadband access": impact, issues, lessons, reproducibility, etc.
o Market studies: metrics on the price impact of offers (or "how to get broadband up and running").
- Examples of UNSUITABLE THEMES:
o "Digital divide" studies (this aspect is considered to be already well understood).
o Development of backbone and international access (these issues are well covered elsewhere).
Practical details
- Contributions to be no longer than 10 pages with simple line spacing (Word/OOo Writer)
- Each contribution must include the author’s name, email address, telephone number, position and name of her/his firm or institution
- Contribution deadline: April 17, 2009
- Contributions should be submitted by email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Proposals will be evaluated by members of the Digital World Forum Program Committee.
Selected papers will be:
- Published on the Digital World Forum website.
- Sent to all participants of the IST-Africa 2009 event (covering low cost broadband infrastructure access) also taking place in Kampala (Uganda) in May 2009 immediately after the workshop IST 2009 – Africa 2009 Conference and exhibition
- Passed on to the European Commission Project Officer DWF responsible for the Low-cost Broadband Program (Information Society and Media DG)
- Ranked by the Program Committee.
The author of the best paper will be invited to present his/her paper at the beginning of the workshop. For this author, charges related to participating in the workshop and the IST-Africa conference (transportation costs, accommodation and registration fee to IST) will be reimbursed.
Unsuccessful contributors will be notified by email
