Global Broadband & Innovations Program: Overview and Services

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Or Contact Joe DuncanGBI Program Directorjduncan@usaid.gov

The Global Broadband and Innovations Program was created in 2010 by the United States Agency for International Development. The goal of the GBI Program is to improve socio-economic outcomes by expanding access to wireless voice and broadband services and facilitating the kind of innovation that makes such access more effective for development.

Information & Communication Technologies and USAIDThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID) holds as a core mission the alleviation poverty and promotion of economic growth in the developing world. Towards that end it focuses heavily on raising the productivity of workers and firms through technical assistance that improves their knowledge, management practices, and ability to make use of appropriate technology. Technology has become especially important in today’s world, particularly Information and Communications Technology (ICT). It provides opportunities for work, better information for decision-making, and a better ability to network and interact; leading to stronger communities, more innovation, and a better connection to the world economy.

Study after study shows that access to ICT increases economic growth in a measureable way, when observed at both the macro and micro level. Writ large, increasing ICT access by 10% has been shown to increase economic growth by about 1% across a developing economy. At a smaller scale, it has been shown to have the same 10-1 impact on output though studies of Indian fishermen and Ugandan banana growers, among many others. Similarly, direct interventions in applying ICTs for Development (ICT4D) have stood up to rigorous impact evaluations. ICTs can be used in the health sector to better track disease and encourage healthy behaviors, in agriculture to better provide extension services, and in governance to better reach voters with election information. They can be employed across the spectrum of development interventions to facilitate information flow, better manage projects, and improve socio-economic outcomes.

Program BackgroundUSAID has long acknowledged the social and economic benefits of information and communication technologies, and for many years has included ICT in its project portfolio. An early flagship ICT program, the Leland Initiative, brought the Internet to much of Africa between 1996 and 2000. A follow-on program, the Last Mile Initiative (LMI), sought to expand access to communications for the rural poor of developing countries. Launched in 2004, it focused on the construction of community centers that could either act as cyber-cafes or serve as way stations for the transmission of wireless voice or wifi signals. Since the launch of LMI, however, the telecommunications landscape has changed dramatically. Digital convergence has accelerated, and it has become apparent that mobile devices, not computers, will be the primary medium through which the poor access and make use of the Internet. Further, the proliferation of cloud-based services for development, accessible through mobile phone applications, has altered the possibilities for ICT4D service delivery in exciting ways. The Global Broadband and Innovations Program was created in consideration of these developments and is the way forward for USAID’s Digital Development Strategy.

In 2010 USAID’s Economic Growth and Trade (EGAT) Bureau created the Global Broadband

and Innovations Program, or GBI, to serve as the functional center within USAID for knowledge and implementation consulting in the ICT4D space. Its aims are twofold:

1. To expand wireless voice and broadband access to the world’s poorest citizens.

2. To foster the kind of innovation that will make such access more effective for development.

The emphasis on broadband access and its wireless delivery is shaped by the new dynamics of convergence in the world telecommunication market. The focus on innovation reflects the emerging market for applications and cloud-based software services that is reshaping the practice of development. To achieve these aims GBI takes an “ecosystem approach” to ICT4D, which means that the program does more than just provide tools and the means of accessing them--it actively manages and ushers in change.

Connectivity- the program facilitates the rollout of wireless telecommunications infrastructure into rural areas through a combination of legal and regulatory support, technology integration, and business management consulting.Content- the program works to promote the use of cloud based software solutions and their associated applications, while also fostering the development of targeted ICT for development tools.Consumers- GBI works with governments and local communities to build demand for ICT. This involves training local populations in ICT skills and ensuring that governments provide valuable information over the web.Coordination- GBI works closely with USAID Missions and Bureaus to build coalitions of stakeholders, develop shared visions, and manage the implementation of ICT4D projects from all angles.

Content Connectivity

Consumers

Coordination

An Ecosystem Approach

Legal, Regulatory and Competitiveness Consulting GBI works with Ministries of Communications and with Telecommunications Regulators to create the best possible authorizing environment for the expansion of telecoms. This includes work on national ICT strategy, on frequency spectrum management, on interconnection regimes and other issues associated with increased competition (including tower sharing).

Strengthening Universal Service & Access Funds (USAFs)Increasingly, developing countries are creating state-managed funds that encourage the expansion of telecommunications access to remote and underserved areas. Managing these funds can be challenging – it requires a solid plan, the ability to issue tenders and effectively evaluate competing bids, and a robust monitoring and evaluation capability, all while operating in an environment that can be politically charged. GBI works to strengthen the capacity of such Funds to deal with these challenges.

Promoting Centers of Connectivity Through private sector partnerships, such as with Cisco’s Community Knowledge Center program and Safaricom of Kenya, GBI facilitates the rollout of community access points to underserved areas. They provide not just Internet services at the Center, but can be the hub for a wireless community voice and broadband network that expands access even further. Creating such Centers, along with providing additional 3G and 4G tower infrastructure, is part of GBI’s integrated strategy for bringing broadband access to rural areas.

Encouraging Technological Innovation New low cost technologies have recently emerged that make it feasible to provide wireless 3G or 4G data access in rural areas. GBI works with mobile network operators, such as Orange, and equipment vendors, such as Altobridge, to ensure that more of these technologies are deployed to connect rural citizens.

ConnectivityServices

For more information visit

www.gbiportal.net

Or Contact,Joe Duncan

GBI Program Directorjduncan@usaid.gov

Public and Private PartnershipsUSAID places a strong emphsis on building relationships with the private sector. GBI builds upon this, seeking partnerships especially with high tech firms. Several public-private partnerships (PPPs) are currently in place, with additional partnerships to be developed as the GBI program expands. PPPs currently in place and supporting the GBI program include:

The USAID-Intel Global MOU was put into place in December 2006, through their World Ahead (iWA) program,

and includes links with their CSR entity.

The USAID-Microsoft Global MOU was put

into place in October 2007. In addition to USAID, the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and the Millennium Challenge Corporation are parties to this MOU.

GBI is supported through a Cooperative Agreement (CA) with

NetHope, a 501(c)3 organization with 33 international NGO members and support network of foundations and high tech firms.

USAID-Cisco Global MOU was put into place in February 2008 providing a platform for a range

of partnership initiatives including the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute.

The USAID-Global VSAT Forum Global MOU was put into place in

December 2008. GVF is a worldwide satellite industry association with approximately 230 members.

The U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute offers 84 diverse ICT-related courses

and has trained over 8,000 women and men from 168 countries. USAID has partnered with USTTI for over 25 years.

Content Creation and Program ImplementationGBI works to identify development challenges that can be resolved through the appropriate application of technology, then leverages its network of private sector partners to create the appropriate solution and disseminate it. In this way, the program brings the innovative power of Silicon Valley to bear on todays most pressing development issues.

Supporting Local Content Creation Oftentimes the best ICT solutions are created locally, by people that understand the intricacies of local problems. GBI works to facilitate this process, both by holding application and software development contests and by creating networks of local developers that can work together to create better content. In Jordan, the program implemented a “serious social gaming” educational program with a game designed by a local firm. In Indonesia, the program sponsored “Tech Camp,” a way for local tech entrepreneurs to meet with each other and with local businesses that have unmet ICT needs.

Access to Existing Applications The development community can be a fragmented place – many different organizations work to solve similar problems and often create their own ICT solutions. GBI, through the NetHope alliance, works to streamline the use of ICT applications across humanitarian agencies through the “Humanitarian Development Cloud,” an online resource for obtaining ICT solutions that are of a common interface and are shared by multiple agencies. This makes finding the right software or application solution much easier, and facilitates development interventions of all kinds.

ICT and Entrepreneurship TrainingGBI, through its private sector partners, facilitates training in ICT and entrepreneurship. The program has a strategic partnership with Cisco centered on expanding its Entrepreneurship Institute, and with Microsoft around its Innovation Centers. It also works with Intel to facilitate the rollout of computers and computer training programs in schools throughout the developing world.

ICT Training (Business)GBI works through USAID programs to facilitate business use of ICT in developing countries. Not only does this enhance business productivity and facilitate economic growth, but it creates demand for ICT services and supports the growth of that sector, enabling more and better products to be developed. Sector Relationship Management

GBI can leverage its network of contacts in the private, public and non-profit sectors to build a coalition of stakeholders around ICT interventions and earn buy-off on a vision for change.

ICT Assessments GBI can provide a snapshot report of a country’s ICT sector that allows for strategic planning of ICT engagements. These assessments offer analysis of stakeholder interests and uncover the system of incentives that support the maintenance of observed sector outcomes. They serve as guidelines for implementation.

Direct Support to Missions GBI works with USAID missions on their overall strategy of ICT engagement in their country. This can include how to promote ICT access and use among the local population, but also how to make better use of ICT in programmatic areas such as health, agriculture, environment, and education.

Content Services

Consumers Services

Coordination Services

U.S. Agency for International DevelopmentBureau for Economic Growth and Trade

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20523

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