Introduction and Vision statement

Hello,
  As part of my pending action point, pls. find attached the first draft on
the introduction and vision statement for your comments. The final output
will be part of the Vision section of the Framework document.

Best, if you can send the comments as complete sentences fit for direct
inclusion, instead of remarks, before the upcoming telecon to hasten the
process.

The text is reproduced here as follows:


Vision

Over the last decade, mobile has registered phenomenal growth globally,
emerging as a powerful means of communication, outpacing the growth of
fixed-lines. The developing world, in particular, is successfully embracing
it as a tool for social, economic and political empowerment.

As the developed world continues to take the evolutionary next step of
accessing the Web data and content over broadband and mobile, the developing
markets present a contrasting picture. Limited infrastructure due to lack or
lower penetration of advanced broadband and mobile access networks and
devices, lower income levels, higher illiteracy (including digital) rates,
higher data charges, and a lack or limited availability of Web content in
non-mainstream languages are among the many barriers threatening to increase
the digital divide, thereby alienating a major section of the global
population from repeating the success of mobile communications. The urgency
to address these challenges can be better gauged from the fact that a
majority of today's three billion or more un-connected population live in
the developing world.

Therefore, the vision of this group is to bridge the growing digital divide
and create an environment of digital inclusion by developing solutions
enabling mobile Web access to masses in the developing world to usher in
opportunities for sustainable social development.

To achieve this vision, the group aims to explore the immediate potential (a
time span of next 3 to 4 years) of mobile technologies available today
defined by the devices (such as low-end mobile phones) and access networks
(such as narrowband GSM/CDMA) accessed by a majority of the population as a
personal or shared item by:

•identifying the challenges of key stakeholders in development, deployment
and availability of mobile Web for the target population

•identifying challenges in making services accessible, relevant, usable,
useful and affordable to the targeted populations

•proposing potential solutions and best practices to resolve some of the key
challenges identified

•leveraging participation from the targeted population or the relevant
stakeholders directly involved with them

•raising awareness on the potential of the mobile phone as an ICT platform
among the targeted population through relevant stakeholders

Regards
Renjish