“Inclusive” Technology - the need of the hour

DVB-T was big news in Sri Lanka yesterday. - the launching of the test transmission of DVB-T. It received wide media coverage. There were many references to this by bloggers too- some specialists and also others who have an interest. While for a few it was a break through or a big step in a country’s broadcasting format or technology, for the most in the country, it didn’t mean anything. Simply Nothing. How many of you, the educated know what DVB-T is ?

Why is technology so distant to us, especially in the developing world ?

When television first came to Sri Lanka, I was in my late teens and it was simply magical. It reached the people faster than a forest fire. It was not only faster but also much easier than getting a land phone. Getting a telephone was a challenge, as one had to reach people in high places, then visit the local exchange office and then wait for “loops”. It was, in fact, very loopy. This was in the capital city, not only in other parts of the country. Then all these changed with the advent of mobile technology.

I am not sure when I got my first mobile, probably in the late 90s. It was a simple phone, but today, I use a phone with new features and services – bluetooth, sms and roaming, etc. These have helped me and millions of people in developing countries to communicate. The mobile technology has reached out to the average man who is even living in the periphery. Now, he too is included in this world. This is inclusive technology.

Can we say the same about other technology in our countries? How distant it is from the average man? “Internet” is an example. How prohibitive is access to the internet? Is it for a segment of the people who can afford it or for the people in areas with better communication infrastructure? Is it exclusively for a section of the society? Is it to distance the average man further? And now DVB-T.

In a way, technology is not to be blamed, but the way we have failed in taking the advancement in technology to the benefit of a wider group. Finding an answer to this is the challenge we face. There are a few lessons we can learn from “microfinance” – the buzzword in development. Microfinance is not rocket science; it is simply banking services for those who didn’t have access to such services, sometimes not wanted by the big banks. Microfinance has taken financial services such as savings, loans, insurance to millions of people around the world, through inclusive finance. Today even the multinational banks are into microfinance, trying to downscale their operations to reach a low income but a wider and profitable market segment. Using mobile phones for fund transfer and palm pilots for record keeping in the field are two successful experiences in the South Asia where microfinance and technology have blended seamlessly. And technology should go the full distance.

This posting is in no way to devalue the importance of technology in our lives, but an attempt to remind that it is equally important to know what it means to us.