World Congress on Information Technology

Thanks to the Register for this report on WCIT.

A topic of great importance to our project is the impact of protected technology, particularly in respect of mobile telecoms, in bridging or entrenching the digital divide. Interesting, therefore, to see this report of WCIT criticising 3 competing pitches for low cost lap tops for supply to developing countries (the key criticism being on the competitive rather than collaborative approach - which of course raises the fundamental question of why companies want to, or should, supply developing markets). The report also notes, supporting comments by Africa Woman (blogged last summer) that for individuals and more remote communities, the most useful item would be a mobile phone.

Even assuming corporate will and financial resources, can infrastructure, IP and regulatory hurdles be cleared to ensure this is delivered?

From the other perspective of mobile telecoms, the conference next month in Brussels "Mobile Regulation and Competition Law" looks very interesting (http://www.mobileregs.com/). With so many challenges of 3G technology, IP and regulatory battles, there is a real need for the WCIT (and, indeed, WSIS) to ensure that the broader picture, and the extent of the digital divide, continues to the debated and addressed.