Organizations have put a strong emphasis on giving people in developing regions of the world access to both technology and the Internet
A fleet of buses and motorcycles equipped with wi-fi Internet are helping villages and towns located in developing nations have access to the Internet. United Villages, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based organization uses a caravan to tour select locations in Cambodia, Rwanda, Paraguay and India.
Users of a village computer in a town can request specific information that will be updated before the bus and motorcycle caravan leave the village. The bus will then update the information after re-entering the village. Users in India without an Internet connection can now pay a small fee to be able to surf the Internet -- users can also spend a few extra rupees and make special requests to get additional information on a subject or topic that has not been introduced before.
The vehicles equipped with wi-fi have the ability to deliver and collect e-mails.
The people in the village also utilize the technology to order items such as fertilizers, medicine and books. "What we've done is created a catalogue of those products that they can order at the kiosk and get them delivered the next day via the bus," said Amir Hassan, founder of United Villages.
Companies and non-profit organizations are attempting to help developing nations bridge the technological gap in numerous ways. The One Laptop Per Child group announced last month that the organization has 1 million XO notebook units ready to ship, with nations in both South America and Africa showing interest in the low-cost notebooks. Intel also has shown interest in both offering an OLPC rival along with creating Internet access in remote regions of the world.
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