Communication professors Hernan Galperin and François Bar co-edited a special Winter 2006 issue of the academic journal Information Technologies and International Development (MIT Press).
The issue contains five articles – including one that Galperin and Bar co-wrote – that explore the role wireless technologies can play in the development of communication infrastructure and services throughout developing regions.
In their article, Galperin and Bar examine the lack of Information Communication Technology – from cell phones to laptops to the Internet – available in some of the poorest areas of the world, particularly in rural areas. They recommend increasing the role of small-scale local operators called microtelcos to better serve the public. According to their research, “These operators are effectively servicing areas of little interest to traditional operators based on a variety of unorthodox organizational arrangements that involve cooperative efforts between government, private, and civil society actors.”
They conclude that removing “regulatory obstacles would encourage further experimentation with local organizational arrangements better suited for ICT services to the poor on a sustainable and development-oriented basis.”
