AFRICAN REGIONAL SYMPOSIUM

                                        on

                            TELEMATICS FOR DEVELOPMENT



                                UNECA Headquarters
                               Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

                                  2-6 April 1995





                                   organized by

             United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
                  International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
   United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)


                                in partnership with

                  International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

**********************
Background - Telematics for Development

The accelerating advancement of telematics - the marriage of
telecommunications with informatics and audiovisual technologies - is
spawning a multiplicity of new applications like high definition television,
multimedia products and services, interactive and "intelligent" interfaces,
and ubiquitous computer networks evolving rapidly towards "information
superhighways". This transformation, although up until now evident mainly
in the industrialized countries, will steadily improve access to rich and
nearly instantaneous supplies of information worldwide, independent of
distance, and lead to major changes in all societies - in the economy, in
government, in life-styles, in cultural patterns and in education systems.

In particular, telematics will enable the creation of cooperative networks
in Africa and, in a longer perspective, offer new opportunities for distance
education, health care and other development-related activity. Access to
information and know-how through such networks will enhance sustainable
development in all sectors of society.

In 1992-93 ITU and UNESCO carried out a joint study entitled The Right to
Communicate - At What Price? Economic Constraints to the Effective Use of
Telecommunications in Education, Science, Culture and in the Circulation of
Information, which analyzed the obstacles to and benefits of the application
of telematics in these sectors, with particular attention to the situation
of the developing countries. The study concluded that telematics is a major
factor in the development process, and that users and telecommunication
operators in developing countries have abundant possibilities to work
together, with appropriate incentives from the public authorities, to
initiate innovative approaches to telematics which take account of available
new technologies and of market opportunities.

The present Symposium is intended as a forum to promote cooperative action
for the development of telematics facilities and the use of telematics
services in Africa, taking full account of existing efforts and
infrastructure and with the concerted support of the international
community.


Objectives of the Symposium

   The Symposium aims to bring together representatives of actual and
potential telematics users and service providers, telecommunication
Administrations and operators, and concerned government agencies in order
to:

   1. provide an up-to-date overview of international advances in telematics
      networks and services, particularly for use in education, science,
      culture, the media and other development oriented sectors;
   2. take stock of African initiatives to plan, develop and improve
      telematics services;
   3. explore African needs for telematics services for development and
      build bridges among the concerned user groups;
   4. review and discuss the available, planned and required
      telecommunication facilities to satisfy these needs;
   5. promote the elaboration of concrete national and regional strategies
      and policies for the development and use of telematics services,
      emphasizing market-oriented approaches and opportunities for
      partnership between user groups, telecommunication operators and public
      authorities;
   6. consider cooperative financial and institutional mechanisms to promote
      the development of needed telematics services in Africa.

******************************
Participants

The participants from African countries will come from telematics user
organizations (ministries, universities, research centres and councils, news
agencies, broadcasters, small and medium industry, etc.), information and
informatics service providers, telecommunication Administrations and
telecommunication operators. They will participate in their personal
capacities, but should be recommended by their employers or Governments.
Partial or full travel support will be provided to a limited number of
participants by the sponsoring Organizations.

International specialists will also participate, particularly
representatives of concerned bilateral, regional and international
organizations (including international networks and telecommunication
carriers) and a number of international experts invited in their personal
capacities.

All participants will be expected to provide written communications, e.g.
presentations of relevant experience or proposals, or national surveys of
telematics use and potential.


The Programme

The Symposium programme, covering five working days, will tentatively
include the following elements:

   Presentations and discussion on international trends and opportunities in
   telematics (policies and strategies, technological evolution, etc.)

   Presentations and discussion on African initiatives and needs concerning
   telematics facilities and services

   Specialized sessions on:
   -  connectivity for data communications in Africa and the role of
      standardization of telematics applications
   -  infrastructure and services for video transmission and multimedia
   -  appropriate tariff structures for telematics development
   -  training, retraining and education through telematics

   Conclusions on national and regional strategies

   Recommendations on an action plan


Working Languages

English and French

                           (Working documents in both languages
                    and simultaneous interpretation of the discussions)


                                       Organization

An Organizing Committee composed of representatives of the sponsoring
Organizations (UNECA, ITU, UNESCO, IDRC) has been formed to handle the
administrative and financial aspects of the Symposium. Other
international and regional organizations may subsequently join as
sponsors.

A Scientific Committee of distinguished African and international
telematics experts will advise the Organizing Committee on the
preparation and organization of the Symposium.

**************************
Information and Applications

Applications to participate are invited from interested individuals and
institutions in Africa. Requests for information and applications should
be addressed to:

   Ms. Nancy Hafkin
   Officer-in-Charge, PADIS
   United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
   P.O. Box 3001
   Addis Ababa
   Ethiopia

      Tel:  (251-1) 51 11 67
           (251-1) 51 72 00 ext. 281
      Fax:  (251-1) 51 44 16
           (1-212) 963 4957
      E-mail:  nhafkin padis.gn.apc.org
           hafkin.uneca un.org


Candidates should provide the following information:

Full name: ________________________________________________________

Employer:  ________________________________________________________

Position/title: ___________________________________________________

Full contact address: _____________________________________________

             _____________________________________________

             _____________________________________________

Telephone: _________ Fax: _________ Telex: _______ E-mail _________


Description of functions concerning telematics:

            ______________________________________________

            ______________________________________________

Title of contribution:
              ____________________________________________

Abstract (150-200 words):

              ___________________________________________

              ___________________________________________

Financial support required:

           _______________________________________________

(Limited funding is available to finance the travel and/or subsistence of
selected African candidates. At equal levels of qualification, priority
will be given to candidates who are able to obtain funding from their
employers or other sources and who, therefore, do not apply for full
support.)

Applications should, if possible, be received by 30 November 1994, and
should be accompanied by a recommendation by the candidate's employer or
Government. In addition to entertaining individual applications, the
sponsoring Organizations will invite Member States, telecommunication
Administrations and other major institutions concerned with telematics in
Africa to recommend candidates for the Symposium.
-----
Workplan for production of the Discussion Paper on
Telematics for Development in Africa.

Oct 14 '94

Mike Jensen
Box 18866
Hillbrow 2038
Johannesburg
South Africa
Tel: +27-11-614-8231 / 838-6943/4
Fax: +27-11-492-1058
Email: mikej@wn.apc.org


Further to the outline of work as stated in the Author's Contract
it is proposed that the discussion paper will:

1) Speak from the point of view of existing and potential African
telematics users (especially in the sectors of education, science,
culture and the media) to the national and international
telecommunications carriers, their policy makers, co-ordinating bodies and
telematics service providers.

2) Clarify the rationale for obtaining special treatment for these 'sectors
of public concern' and relate this to development issues by identifying
and outlining the increasing importance of access to telematics facilities
for these users and the potential impact of appropriately priced
telematics services on economic development and society as a whole.

3) Provide a technological and institutional overview and analysis of
the range of telematics initiatives currently in operation, or planned
for Africa.

4) Identify the major issues and analyse the significance of
technological developments in telematics applications for the planning
of demand for data services. (e.g multi media, Internet Radio, and live
video conferencing).

5) Analyse the significance to carriers and telematics users of recent and
planned developments in network infrastructure - international, national
and rural trunk capacity building as well as alternative carriers and carrier
technology (fibre optic, satellite etc).

6) Take cognisance of the fact that with the steady digitalization of the
underlying networks, data and voice communications are increasingly similar
operations for the carriers, with both services capable of being carried on
the same channel. In addition that voice grade analogue lines can be used for
data traffic, thus making voice communications developments relevant for
telematics users.

7) Provide alternative technological and policy models for assisting in the
development of telematics services in general and to the 'sectors of public
concern' in particular.

8) Provide analysis of the obstacles to the application of telematics in
these sectors.

9) Identify strategies and areas of potential co-operation between
users of telematics services and between users, telematics service
providers and carriers.

10) Consider financing and institutional support mechanisms for promoting
the development of telematics services.

11) Use concrete examples wherever possible and provide more in-depth
case studies and comparisons of the situation in selected countries including
one in the developed world for reference purposes.
(South Africa, Uganda, Botswana, Mocambique and Canada).


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Process of Work:

Research and writing will take place simultaneously over the next 4 weeks,
making use of an existing travel itinerary to carry out study in South
Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Ethiopia where appropriate
telecommunications bodies will be visited including the national PTTs,
SATCC and the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of South Africa.

Use will also be made of the extensive existing research on a
telecommunications and telematics in a number of African countries carried out
by the IDC and Data
Research Africa market research groups.

Particular reference will also be made to the SATCC commissioned study for a
regional data network for Southern Africa.

Because of the particularly interesting strategies being implemented in
Uganda a special trip will be made to this country to study the
situation there. In addition this will be combined with a visit to
RASCOM.

Further information will also be solicited from:

UN PTT initiative
OSS/UNITAR/UNSO-TSU CILSS project.
ITU - HO and African Office
IDRC, HO and ROSA/Information Mission
IFIP
UNECA/PADIS
APC
SADC
PANAFTEL
INMARSAT
INTELSAT
USAID/VITA
INTERNIC
World Bank
ORSTOM/RIO


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