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Monday, 14 October, 2002, 09:34 GMT 10:34 UK
Net reaches Bangladeshi villages
![]() The centre offers training in computer skills
In a small back room are eight computers hooked up to the internet, offering low-cost web access. The centre is one of two set up by the Bangladeshi non-governmental organisation, the Grameen Trust, to take the digital revolution into the countryside. "Our vision is to provide an information technology service to local people who don't know about computers," said the telecentre manager, Mohammad Alamgir Hossain. Wireless net The centre was set up a year ago to provide low-cost training in computer skills such as word-processing and graphics and design to villagers.
Dial-up connections in Bangladesh are expensive and unstable, with slow connection speeds and frequent interruptions. In order to encourage local businesses and groups to go online, the Mirzapur centre also acts as a low cost local internet service provider. So far two local bodies, a hospital trust and a girls' secondary school have signed up, paying only a nominal amount. But the cost of keeping the telecentre going could be a problem. Grameen is concerned about the long-term viability of the project. Officials admit that they are finding it very difficult to sustain these projects with local resources. "It is a bit ambitious," said Partha Pratim Sarker, founder of the technology website, Bytes For All. "Often telecentres like this can be expensive to run and this is one of the reasons why some of these projects are not successful." Keeping in touch Despite these problems, Grameen believes projects like this can help reduce the isolation of rural areas, using the internet to connect them to the capital and further afield.
As Bangladesh has a large immigrant population, with many working in the Gulf and elsewhere, fast communications can make a big difference. Using the Mirzapur centre, villagers can get in touch with family and friends in seconds for a fraction of the cost of an international phone call. Student appeal Even illiterate villagers are encouraged to use the service. Some people come in with just an e-mail address, not knowing how to use e-mail.
"The response of the public is promising." The centre is popular with students, as it offers a cheap way of browsing the web, sending e-mails or chatting with friends. "We are so lucky to have a digital centre like this," said one student as he looked up the latest cricket scores on the BBC sports site. "The world is very big, but the internet makes the world small. There is no other opportunity for me to use a computer, this is the only place." The Mirzapur centre is part of Grameen Communication's Village Computer and Internet Programme.
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16 Aug 02 | Country profiles
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