Community Networks for Addressing Affordability of ICT Access in African Rural Areas

Takavarasha, Sam; Adams, C.; Cilliers, Liezel

doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3179-1.ch001

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Indeed, established community networks already making positive impacts on their communities. For instance, Takavarasha et al (2018) indicate that the Zenzeleni community network in Mankosi, South Africa, is transforming human capabilities and community livelihoods.…”

Section: Community Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Gwaka

Haseki

Yoo

2022

Information Development

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The mounting evidence that current efforts to meet international goals for increasing Internet connectivity are likely to fall short has heightened interest in alternative connectivity models such as community networks. Already, there are many such initiatives globally taking differentiated approaches towards their setup and operation. This results in fragmented knowledge on the initiatives and systematic analysis of these models is limited. This study applies the People, Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) framework to examine 21 community networks across countries in different continents to produce insights into their structure and components. The aim is to identify ways in which initiatives become sustainable. Data for the study were collected in two steps. First, qualitative data were gathered using in-depth interviews to produce a database of case studies. Second, the qualitative data were quantized, which enables the researchers to produce descriptive data. Overall, the study findings demonstrate the existence of several technology options, but the main technology used for community level connectivity is Wi-Fi. Initiatives also adopt different organizational approaches, but strategic partnerships are critical for the success of the initiatives. While strategic partners provide support for the initial set up lack of business models affect the sustainability of initiatives. Also, while environment-related issues (regulation, infrastructure) play a significant role, they are malleable as shown by changes in regulatory regimes. This study findings are useful to practitioners implementing community networks, researchers looking to gain more insights on these models and policy makers responsible for the telecommunication, and digital policies.

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Section: Community Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Gwaka

Haseki

Yoo

2022

Information Development

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“…Its purpose and conceptualisation has moved from testing to practice [39]. Zenzeleni's applicability and ICT development has transformed from innovation to impact [39,40]. Zenzeleni's intersection of applicability and ICT development has seen blending of knowledge transfer, uptake and transferring of skills with indigenous knowledge, as well as, burgeoning growth, community ownership and empowerment.…”

Section: Zenzelenimentioning

confidence: 99%

CIPPUA: Towards Coherence and Impact in ICT4D/IS

Adesemowo¹

2020

Re-Imagining Diffusion and Adoption of Information Technology and Systems: A Continuing Conversation

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Nonetheless, the many developments occasioned by and through information and communication technology (ICT), the plethora of debates on what 'development' means persist. Researchers, practitioners, policy makers and stakeholders of ICTs for Development (ICT4D) have a good understanding of ICT4D, yet their views differ when it comes to the 'development'. The ICT (as an entity), do not get interrogated well enough as a research reality or phenomenon in itself. Differing opinions persist. Without a common understanding, diffusion and adoption of ICT4D will continue fragmented. In continuing the conversation, one area to reimagine is the ICT and digital technologies in ICT4D or information systems. This paper revisits Walsham's ("ICT4D research: reflections on history and future agenda") 2017 paper, as a backdrop to elucidate the emancipatory ethos of critical realism and introduce the conceptual CIPPUA model. Through explanatory stratified ontological review of the position, nature and identity of digital technologies/objects, this paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on critical realism in digital development, especially the connection of ICT to development. More so, this paper with the conceptual CIPPUA model, contributes in part to the discourse of operationalizing critical realism in practice.

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“…ICTs can be used to fight poverty, foster development and reducing inequalities to economic access in the information age [5]. While acknowledging the usefulness of other social, economic and technical imperatives, the importance of sustainable and affordable ICT access has been urged in literature as a critical driver of inclusivity in the information age [6]. Some key applications of ICT include agriculture, remittance economy, education and healthcare [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To mitigate against social exclusion, several measures have been employed to ensure sustainable and affordable access by disadvantaged communities. These measures include the use of free basics [10] community networks [6]; telecentres [11] and infrastructure sharing [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing ICT Access Disparities Between the Institutional and Home Front: A Case of University Students in South Africa’s Eastern Cape

Takavarasha

Cilliers

Chinyamurindi

2018

This Changes Everything – ICT and Climate Change: What Can We Do?

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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been used to promote equality and inclusivity, foster human development, enhance opportunity and fight poverty in developing countries. In spite of this effort, inequality to ICT access persists in developing countries like post-apartheid South Africa. This paper contributes to the ICT4D discourse by investigating ICT access disparities between various actors within a country. The theoretical foundation adopts elements of Engeström's [1] activity theory as a conceptual lens for examining the access disparities experienced by users at home and within a formal institutional activity system, such as a university. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with university students at two campuses of a previously disadvantaged university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study shows that the reason for different access, limited access on the home front and unlimited access on the institutional front, was due to access cost, lack of devices, inadequate skills and lack of awareness of the value of internet access. We conclude that these factors worsen poverty by limiting access to opportunities for the majority of the population that lacks institutional access.

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Community Networks for Addressing Affordability of ICT Access in African Rural Areas

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

Community networks as models to address connectivity gaps in underserved communities

CIPPUA: Towards Coherence and Impact in ICT4D/IS

Assessing ICT Access Disparities Between the Institutional and Home Front: A Case of University Students in South Africa’s Eastern Cape

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