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Open Economies - Using Voice Portal Technology [Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] Using Voice Portal Technology
03 July 2001 Drawing on the oral communication traditions of Africa could present the developed world with its best opportunity to help poor countries make the most of the Internet, according to a paper issued by consultancy firm Arthur D. Little. Using Voice Portal Technology to provide Basic Communication and Internet services to people in Africa, written by Richard Tarboton, suggests that the West should stop concentrating on rolling out standard Internet networks to heal the digital divide. The report claims that such an approach ignores the low literacy rate of many developing countries and the irrelevance of much of the content available on the Internet to small rural farming communities. Instead, the paper suggests that tailor-made voice sites using VoiceXML, in local languages, accessible by standard telephones, could prove popular and accessible. Tarboten writes: "The voice portal uses ordinary telephony devices that access the Internet via fixed, mobile, or satellite networks under a thin client model where the processing power, storage, and server technologies reside in remote data centres and maintenance is centralised." He added: "The age-old African tradition of speech, rhythm and storytelling uncovers an opportunity for voice portal technologies to help close the digital gap. "The voice portal provides the cheapest possible device (basic telephone) and it can be shared by many as a payphone - this is already installed in many communities. Internet access is at low cost and can easily be sponsored by businesses." Content could include information on how to vote, handling flooding, disease, Aids prevention, bulletin board advertisements, transport timetables, news, sports and entertainment, Tarboten said. source:Total Telecom Gershon Adzadi IT Manager, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority gershona@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
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