Slides from the meeting at Think! Innovation, June 18, 2014

1. Roberto Polillo
Derpartment of Informatics, Systems and Communication,
University of Milano Bicocca
Think!, 12 June 2014
A view on ICT4D1
R.Polillo, June 2014

2. Statement #1
We must learn from the future, not from the past
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R.Polillo, June 2014

3. Four “miracles”
The “mobile miracle”
The “broadband miracle”
The “open-source miracle”
The “cloud miracle”
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R.Polillo, June 2014

4. The mobile miracle
 Almost 7 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide by end 2014
(96% penetration rate; 121% developed, 90% developing)
 The developing countries are home to more than three quarters of all
mobile-cellular subscriptions
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R.Polillo, June 2014

5. R.Polillo, June 2014

6. The internet [half] miracle
 Almost 3 billion people are using the Internet (40% of the world
population)
 Close to 1 out of 3 people in the developing countries are online
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R.Polillo, June 2014

7. Mobile broadband growth (I)
 Mobile broadband uptake continues to grow at double digits rates
 The number of mobile-broadband subscriptions will reach 2.3 billion at
end 2014, with 55% of them in developing countries
 Mobile-broadband penetration in Africa will reach almost 20% by end
2014, up from less than 2% four years earlier
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4 times growth
R.Polillo, June 2014

8. Mobile broadband growth (II)
“Expectations are high that mobile-broadband services
will become equally as available as mobile-cellulare
telephony in the near future.
Ericsson forecasts that by 2018 there will be 6.5 billion
mobile-broadband subscriptions, almost as many as
there are mobile telephone subscriptions in 2013.”
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Source: ITU, Measuring the Information Society, 2013
R.Polillo, June 2014

9. The open-source miracle
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http://www.pcworld.com/article/2035651/open-source-is-taking-over-the-software-world-survey-says.html
R.Polillo, June 2014

10. 10 R.Polillo, June 2014

11. Cloud computing miracle
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12. What we may expect
 A world of cloud computing services…
 …. implemented using open-source software
platforms and applications….
 …. accessible mainly from mobile devices….
 …. From any country in the world…
 ….within the next few years
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R.Polillo, June 2014

13. Statement #2
There is not a single ICT4D:
every country is different
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R.Polillo, June 2014

14. Statement #3
Assume that the technology
IS
already available
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R.Polillo, June 2014

15. Consequences
- Minimize setting up local infrastructure: use cloud services as
much as possible
- Use open-source software as much as possible
- Train local personnel to manage ICT solutions
- Do not develop new software! Do not reinvent the wheel!
- Adopt a prototyping approach as much as possible
- Plan for sostenibility from the beginning
- Pursue replicability and (possibly) scalability of solutions
- Adopt a local perspective
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R.Polillo, June 2014

16. 16
The main server of
Chinandega hospital
(Nicaragua)
R.Polillo, June 2014

17. 17
“The reality is a profusion of similar software and technology
applications around the world that never leave the pilot phase.
We focus on responding to RFP’s that ask for something new or
innovative with limited, bespoke solutions that die the day after
funding ends.
We keep reinventing the flat tire.”
Wayan Vota
Want to scale ICT4D projects? Stop developing software!
R.Polillo, June 2014

18. References
 The World in 2014: ICT Facts and Figures (ITU):
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2014-
 UNCTD: The Software Industry and Developing Countries (2012)
www.unctad.org/ier2012
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R.Polillo, June 2014