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Accepted Paper:
Antti Pinomaa (LUT University) Marko Nieminen (Aalto University)
Paper short abstract:
Fundamental infrastructure; energy, internet and digital services is prerequisite for development in modern world. Under-served communities living outside of power grid and networks are left behind as are lacking access to global value networks. This study proposes solution to remove digital divide.
Paper long abstract:
The fundamental infrastructure, that is, electricity and connectivity, which together forms a platform for various of digital services, is prerequisite for development in modern world. Modern society in industrialized countries relies more on digital systems and services, application and intelligence built into those. Digital connectivity is key element in the scheme, it is enabler and accelerator for business, transactions, exchanging and distributing information and knowledge. Thus, it forms the fundamental base for education, training, entrepreneurship, creating new business, jobs etc. However, in the other end, roughly half of the world population is still living outside of internet, and 1.3 billion people still off-the-grid. These include bottom of the pyramid, the poorest of the poor, which are living completely out of the basic infrastructure, mainly located in developing countries as in Africa and India. This creates huge digital divide and over billion people are left behind. However, there are ways to introduce and provide energy and digital infrastructure to these regions. Off-grid solar has huge potential for instance in Africa to become the infrastructural base, which could provide electricity to standard consumer appliances, digital tools, and connectivity and internet access to digital world. The design of such systems just needs to re-innovated. Based on previous findings, on which this study is built on, a new concept with a viable business models which are turn key services for improving livelihood in under-served communities and tackling digital divide are presented, and the impacts that such system has brought to local community are addressed.
Digital Connections, Agency and Transformation
Session 1 Wednesday 28 June, 2023, -