Kim I. Mallalieu, PhDDepartment of Electrical and Computer EngineeringThe University of the West Indies

Community-Focused Mobile Innovation

Michael Hosein, PhDDepartment of Math and Computer ScienceThe University of the West Indies

Sixth Annual Caribbean Internet ForumThe Mobile Internet for Development

Port of SpainOctober 29 – 31, 2008

Agenda

• Community-Focussed Innovation• The Mobile Internet and CFI• Regional Applications• Opportunities for Mobile Applications• Communications Requirements and

Service Choices• Opportunities for Mobile Access to Inet

Data• Observations• Transformations

Community Focussed Innovation

• Measured in terms of Holistic ROI (HROI): social, cultural, economic, intellectual and lifestyle impact and sustainability

•Focuses on poor and other traditionally marginalized communities, e.g. in T&T:

•17% of population estimated as poor

•As much as 4% of population may be disabled

•Develops and applies technologies, even if only modest potential for economic return, to increase information reach and impact

The Mobile Internet and CFI

•High penetration of mobile among poor e.g.

•94% Jamaica poor surveyed (DIRSI 2007) •86% T&T poor surveyed (DIRSI 2007)

•Yet Caribbean mobile data use among poor limited to SMS at low levels (e.g. DIRSI 2007):

•67% mobile users of Jamaica poor surveyed•46% mobile users of T&T poor surveyed•Main barrier to use is not knowing how to use

•Internet facilitates access to existing facilities; vast and rich resources and global reach

•mInternet may leverage key resources for CFI:

Regional Mobile Data Services & Applications

• mBanking• mPayments

• SMS Push• Competition support• Mobile tv• Content subscription / Pay per use• Internet-to-phone SMS messaging

• Email• Remote sensing e.g. fleet tracking• Utilities trouble reporting

• Community Skills Bank• Student Messaging Service• Alert Retrieval Cache

Finance

Entertainment

Corporate / Operations

Humanitarian / Community-based

Alert Retrieval Cache

• SMS messaging for emergency communication

• Collaboration led by T&T’s Taran Rampersad • Used in major catastrophes, incl. tsunami,

since ’05

• Emergency no. established for sending text msgs

• Asterisk server runs scripts to receive and relay messages to email lists, websites and RSS

• SMS good for disaster as no busy signal• In disaster, SMS allows low phone battery use • Open Source implementation

• Various stigmas attached to local R&D• Only word of mouth marketing as not COTS

Observations

• Broad-reach Caribbean mobile data services utilize SMS

• Despite global trends in mobile innovations, mobile data has not empowered the Caribbean poor:

• Existing applications and services predominantly commercially-focussed

• Session-oriented and rich content services not accessible to poor (handset cost, service plans and service cost, literacy)

• Nevertheless significant scope for basic service and application innovations that link to existing online resources / have online component as step to mInet

Opportunities for Mobile Applications

Stand alone apps

Phone to •Phone

Opportunities for Mobile Applications

Wireless

Carrier

PSTN

• Device• Internet

Comms Requirements and Service Choices

Basic transfer

Push service

Basic request/responseSession-oriented

Image

Text / Voice

Rich Content

Interactivity

Content Type

SMS / EMS

USSD

GPRS

EDGE

MMS

GPRS

EDGE

GPRS

EDGE

Ready Targets for Mobile access to Inet Data

Sector Application Examples Requirements

Health m-access to Sangre Grande Poison Info Centre

Basic request / responseSession-orientedRich content

Government Apps for housing & state lands; community events listing etc.

Basic request / responseSession-orientedRich content

Employment Skills bank, vacancies Basic Request/ResponseSession-oriented

Educational support

Training notices • Push service• Session-oriented

Crime mTIPS; mCrime Stoppers Basic text message transfer

Agriculture Namdevco National Agricultural Market Information System

Basic request / responseSession-orientedRich content

Remote monitoring to track larceny of crops

Push service with text and image

Regional Application Opportunities

Sector Application Opportunities

Requirements

Entertainment Regional entertainment event notification; sample media download

Request/ResponsePushSession-orientedRich content

Tourism Tourism destination information

Basic request / responseRich content

Education m-Tutoring Session-oriented

Disaster Response

Disaster event notification: Hurricane wind speed, heading; Relief coordination

Basic text & image transfer(Request/Response)

Trade Regional market pricing information repository; Customs regulations, duty levels by product, etc.

Basic request / response

Transformations

Policy

• Develop m-versions of egov information (and services)• Develop CFI components of National Innovation System • Review UA policy wrt mobile etc.

Regulation

• Disallow anti-poor pay-as-you-go pricing schemes• Review service offerings to promote community-

focussed innovation activity etc.

Research

• Identify vulnerable communities and explore key opportunities for intervention to guide CFI etc.

Transformational Path• Plan and stagger Caribbean route to mInternet• mInternet CFI for Caribbean Development calls for

formal and informal collaborations: community, sector, national, regional

Thank You

Metrics to Track Innovation Success

Traditional• R&D budget as % of

annual sales• % capital invested in

innovation activities • % workforce time

dedicated to innovation• In past year / x years:

• No. new launches• No. patents filed• No. ideas submitted• % sales from

products• % of revenue from

launches• No. of entrepreneurs• Share of wealth etc

etc.

Social• Financial Sustainability• Social Impact • Scale of organization • Governance • Cost Effectiveness • Community leadership • Employment • Environment • Customer satisfaction• Public expenditure• Public procurement• Social economy• Corporate social

responsibility• Grant giving and

financial investment