Weekly news roundup, 02 January 2008

Morocco approves MAD 1.4 billion for rural telecoms

Morocco's universal service commission has approved a budget of Moroccan Dirham (MAD) 1.4 billion to bring telecom services to under-served rural areas under the Pacte project. The project envisages bringing community access centres to 9,263 under-served areas, covering around 2 million people or 17 percent of the rural population, by the end of 2011. The centres will offer telephony, Internet and other ICT services to the local population.

Successful experiences of ICTs in agriculture compiled

“Success stories in the use of ICTs for agricultural research and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean” is the title of a new book published by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), along with the Secretariat of the Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Development (FORAGRO), the Scientific and Technological Information System for the Agricultural Sector in the Americas (INFOTEC) and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR). The book presents six successful experiences in the Americas in the use of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which were compiled by Viviana Palmieri, IICA Technology and Innovation Specialist. The digital version of the book is available at:
http://infoagro.net/shared/docs/a2/Successstories.pdf

Romania announces seventh telecentre tender

Romania’s National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology (ANRCTI) launched its seventh public tender for the installation of telecentres, providing public telephony and Internet access, in 172 rural localities in 31 counties. Since the national programme began, the ANRCTI has called for six tenders for the installation of telecentres in 461 localities, with the 300th village receiving facilities this week. The deadline for applications for the new tender is 18 March 2008.

Sri Lanka's 'Nenasala' operators shined at GK3

The Global Knowledge Partnership hosted its third global knowledge Conference on 11 - 13 December 2007. The Conference unfolded with the theme of “Emerging People, Emerging Markets and Emerging Technologies”. Young Social Entrepreneurs are young people up to age of 30 who have set up innovative enterprises that aim to make a positive social impact with the use of ICT. Two of Sri Lanka’s Nenasala operators, associated with the ICTA, won the coveted Young Social Entrepreneur awards at GK3 event.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance ties with e-Mitra centres of Rajasthan, India

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company has entered a strategic partnership with e-Mitra, the e-Governance initiative of the Government of Rajasthan, a north-western province in India. Customers can walk into the listed e-Mitra kiosks, produce their acknowledgement letter and policy number and make their premium payments in cash. This partnership will increase ICICI's on-ground touch points with the customers.Besides, it will act as a source of income for e-Mitra kiosks.

Microsoft launches several ICT projects in rural China

Microsoft is collaborating with China’sMinistry for Information Infrastructure (MII) and local government organisations on rural projects that will incubate ideas for how to realise the goals of Unlimited Potential, in rural China. In cooperation with the Government, Microsoft has started running several rural projects such as InfoWagons, mobile ICT training labs and Information Service Centres (ISC). The latter are telecentres that provide e-Government and information services, ICT access and training and agricultural training. In the ISC pilot in Chengdu, an ISC consists of 10 PCs with Internet connections and one full-time employee, called InfoStaff, to manage them.

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