Making ICT infrastructure, appliances, and services more accessible and affordable in rural areas

Asserts that policy interventions must consider information and communication technology (ICT) and its users as a socio-technical system through which equitable access to ICT translates into sustainable benefits for rural residents. Infrastructure, appliances, and services influence the delivery of affordable ICT, and governments must provide innovative methods for ICT access in rural areas. Public agencies help develop infrastructure where incentives for private investment prove insufficient; public policy encourages demand for telecommunications through such mechanisms as universal access/universal service funds or support for low-cost devices. In developing economies worldwide, companies deliver financial services and new sources of income outside of conventional bank branches, through mobile phones and nonbank retail agents, and new services offer critical information for farmers to improve their livelihoods. The technical aspects of delivering content and services which rural users value reveal the influence of partners engaged in providing the service, the regulatory environment, business model, and the networks, infrastructure, and devices available