Indirect Access

Channels

• Infopreneur such as a "Info Lady" (Use of intermediary to access information)
• Village phone (rent a mobile phone)
• Village Area Networks (VAN)

Examples

“Info Lady: A rural troubleshooter”, where village phone ladies become potential" infopreneurs", who provide people with the information most needed. Info ladies "receive specialised training and necessary equipment, and then travel to remote areas by bicycle to personally connect villagers to information and resources the underprivileged need."

Movirtu offers mobile phone access to the bottom of the pyramid. MXShare is a patent pending virtual mobile phone system which, when installed in the core of a mobile network, enables people who cannot afford to buy a handset to make and receive calls, SMSs and remittances virtually using other people's phones.

DakNet creates Village Area Networks (VAN). Each village in the VAN – usually no more than 10 – has a computer stationed in a kiosk or local shop. The operator, who has been trained to use the computer, can offer services such as email and web searches. The customers, however, don’t expect an immediate response from their requests. Instead, their emails and other data are stored locally on the PC, ready to be transmitted at a later time. What they have to wait for, in fact, is the next bus. A Mobile Access Point (MAP) is a small box which can be placed inside any vehicle – on a bus, inside a car or on the back of a motorbike. This box is capable of storing data and is fitted with Wi-Fi capability. As the bus, for example, passes the village the MAP automatically connects to the kiosk computer and transfers the data – emails and web search requests from the customers – via the wireless connection. As the bus travels past the other villages in the network, it continues to collect data. When it returns on its route back to the city, it then automatically connects with the Hub to pass on the information. The emails and web requests are then sent via the broadband connection. As the replies come back, they are relayed again to the MAP, ready to be taken to villages the next time the bus leaves on its regular route.