A Closer Look at Rural Computing Kentaro Toyama

A Closer Look at Rural Computing Kentaro Toyama Microsoft Research India 6 th Feburary, ICCC 2005 Keynote at IIT-Kanpur

an n-Logue kiosk in Maharashtra

photos of Drishtee, n-Logue, ITC e-Choupal kiosks

Government-sponsored lunches at a school in Tamil Nadu A tractor and cart in Madhya Pradesh A well-water hand-pump in Madhya Pradesh A field trip in Karnataka

A saved okra crop saves a farmer US$3000 (Slide: Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala)

Monthly Revenue (INR) Rs. 18000 a month! Villages data from Vivek Dhawan’s Masters thesis (IIT-B)

The fastest growing kiosk project (ITC’s e-choupal) would take… 600, 000 villages 6 villages/day x 365 days/year » 274 yrs

e-choupal kiosk in Kodia, Madhya Pradesh

VSAT for kiosk in Kodia, Madhya Pradesh n-Logue cor. DECT wireless tower

Kannada Prabha website

Absolute minimum cost of a PC… Keyboard/mouse: $15 CRT display: $60 Power supply: $15 Memory: $10 for 100 MB Disk: $40 Other silicon: $30 Total: ~$200 Processor: $30 courtesy of Chuck Thacker, Microsoft distinguished engineer

Absolute minimum cost of a PC… Power supply: Rs. 800 Memory: Rs. 1000 for 128 MB Keyboard/mouse: Rs. 300 CRT display: Rs. 2000 Disk: Rs. 2500 Other silicon: Rs. 2500 Total: Rs. 10750 Processor: Rs. 1650 According to PC Quest, May 2004

Monthly Revenue (INR) Needed to break even: $70 -140/mo. Villages data from Vivek Dhawan’s Masters thesis (IIT-B)

Sustainability as a business is the wrong focus for rural PC kiosk projects!

This does not mean… n. A rural PC kiosk can’t be viable as a business. n ICTs have no value in rural areas. n Investing in rural ICTs is a bad idea. n Sustainability wasn’t a worthwhile goal until now. n Sustainability still isn’t a worthwhile goal for a kiosk operator or agency.

This does mean… n n n There is no single “killer app” for rural kiosks. There is no single silver bullet to scale sustainable rural kiosks. Scalable, sustainable, rural PC kiosks is a tempting mirage. Sustainability, even when achieved, often does not make a dent in socio-economic conditions. If we do invest in rural PC kiosk projects, the investment should go into something that lasts and will drive development!

Villages that can sustain a connected PC Income Literacy & education Knowledgebased needs Infrastructure Economies of scale Villages that cannot sustain a connected PC

Focus on Sustainability Villages that can sustain a connected PC Income Literacy & education Knowledgebased needs Infrastructure Economies of scale Villages that cannot sustain a connected PC

Focus on Development Villages that can sustain a connected PC Income Literacy & education Knowledgebased needs Infrastructure Economies of scale Villages that cannot sustain a connected PC

an Akshaya kiosk in Kerala

a student taking typing lessons in a Maharashtra kiosk

a kiosk operator running a Drishtee kiosk in Haryana

a kiosk operator running an n-Logue kiosk near Tiruvallur

Monthly Revenue (INR) Villages data from Vivek Dhawan’s Masters thesis (IIT-B)

Other Possible Focuses for Rural IT n Improve on computer use in schools n Digitize panchayat administrations n Support NGOs in their work n Implement the back-end for egovernment, once and for all n Assist with disaster management

The connected PC is overkill for remote rural villages today.

This does not mean… n There aren’t PCs in rural areas. n PCs should never be put in rural areas. n Rural villagers don’t want PCs. n PCs don’t solve actual problems in villages. n Rural villages won’t be able to afford PCs one day.

This does mean… n Scaling rural PC kiosks to 600, 000 villages is a dubious goal. n The total cost of a connected PC in a rural village may be too high for the value it delivers… – Especially beyond what phones can deliver n We should continue to look for other solutions… – E. g. , Featherweight Computing

Leap. Frog Leap. Pad for healthcare education in Afghanistan

Summary n “Sustainability of rural PC kiosks” is distracting us from main goal of development – Put effort into enduring contributions to development, e. g. , education § Technology’s place is to support these efforts n Look for non-PC-based solutions in addition to PC-based solutions

One more caveat… Education ¹ Information

Information Education = + Human Attention

Thank you!