ICT

Information and Communications Technology - or technologies (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the communication of information. It encompasses: any medium to record information (whether paper, pen, magnetic disk/ tape, optical disks - CD/DVD, flash memory etc. etc.); and also technology for broadcasting information - radio, television,; any technology for communicating through voice and sound or images- microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones. At present, it appears to be culminating with the advent of information technology that is based on Personal Computers (PCs) to computers networked through the Internet using satellite systems or intercontinental cables. Indeed ever since information technology (IT) has become a kind of a hub for communicating information, most often using computers, it has apparently become a dominant medium for communicating information. But, with an expanding fraction of population getting interested in sharing information it may not continue to be so.



History
So far, ICT has been largely limited either for peer to peer communication, or expert to audience communication. In peer to peer communication I would include exchanging information electronically, say e-mail. In the second category I would include information through books, newspapers, magazines and websites whether maintained by commercial establishments, government agencies or educational institutions. The information transfer by this mode is largely one-way, from the expert to the targeted audience. The targeted audience has had no choice but to accept the information as it is presented. Because the person(s) responsible for creating information is not totally aware of the capabilities, likes, limitations of the targeted audience. For example, a fraction of the targeted population may not really be comfortable with language in which the information is presented. Even if the targeted person may know a particular language s/he may be hampered by the dialect. The information is usually presented as text; the target may not be always comfortable in reading text. In short, the technologies often fall short of the real requirements of information recipient. Thus there is a huge potential for the developing ICTs that will suit the pockets, tastes and real requirements of a burgeoning population of information seekers.
Till a decade ago, the Internet that was a vehicle to disseminate information from a selected few to the rather affluent sections of the society was mistakenly viewed as the technology for the future of communication. But in the last few years the indicators point to changes that may yet again revolutionize information communication.



Emerging Trends
Information communication technologies of yester-years have penetrated deep into the society and hence are often very cost effective; teachers in developing countries often use no more than a blackboard and chalk to pass on information about any subject to the students. Printed papers whether in the form of books, magazines or newspapers have become a part of daily routine of any educated citizen. The photocopy machine is widely used by students in these countries to access information from books they cannot afford to buy. The PC based ICT is fast emerging as an alternative, even though the cost of a PC connected to the Internet is often prohibitive for most people in such countries. Even for those who can afford it a PC in the present form is not a very viable option due to its size vis a vis the space available in a common household. Routein maintenance, virus protection etc., is yet another factor that is not easily manageable by the first generation computer users. Thus, even though there is a huge potential for the currently developing technologies for disseminating information to the masses the challenges are equally daunting.
The main limitation of the PC-Internet based ICT are:


The bandwidth

The time taken to access a particular piece of information on the Internet depends on the bandwidth available to the user at that time. Often, it takes several minutes, using an economical connection, to download a piece of information. Thus a user may have to spend substantial time before s/he finds the information she seeks. This is mainly because the search engines on the Internet are largely integrated globally, the larger the number of users using a limited resource the greater is the time required.


The language

At present most of the information available on the Internet is in English, which is still not the language most people are comfortable reading. In fact a substantial fraction of population is not even English literate, leave alone the various kinds of English used in different parts of the world.


Text or voice

Many people are more comfortable listening to some one speaking rather than reading on a screen. Most of the information available on the Internet is textual in nature. Even though software exist that can convert text into voice, they are still largely limited to the English or other western languages. The reason that in developing countries TV and Radio are still far more commonly used to access information rather than the Internet is largely due to this factor.


Disruptive software

An innocent PC-Internet user is susceptible to lots of pain because the PC s/he uses is susceptible to computer viruses that abound on the Internet, the software that can be of some help in preventing such attacks is often prohibitively priced. Thin client Intranet technology is a viable alternative in many situation. But, it has so far not penetrated deep so far.


Participation
The revolutionizing trend that is emerging since the last decade, is the participation of the targetted audience in the creation of information. While many more programs, whether on TV or Radio are getting interactive, even on the World Wide Web the trend is shifting towards greater participation. Thus, the emergence of weblogs, Internet forums and wikis can be attributed to the emergence of new Internet technology called Web 2.0.

Possible avenues for development
ICT can become a revolutionary vehicle in developing counties, provided technological innovations emerge on the following lines.
Local content in local languages The need of the hour is to enable the intelligentsia to develop information sources that are exclusively for fulfilling the needs of local communities. The content on the Internet that can fulfil these conditions is minuscule at present. Conditions have to emerge in which people are enthused to contribute towards the development of information databases that is exclusively disseminated through local networks, in languages/dialects that are popular in the region. The various modes of ICT may need to be integrated with one another, so that a meaningful volume of information can be generated in the minimum possible time.

Future
The ICT may not survive in its present form for long. Sooner than later developing countries would get over the PC mania prevalent now in the developed world, unless there is a remarkable change in the economy of owning a PC. Any technology that requires the masses to own a PC, in its present form, to access information is unlikely to be successful in the foreseeable future. Possibilities appear to exist, however,in the mobile phone technology, which is fast becoming very affordable by the masses, is voice based and can be integrated with the IT technology at the server end. For example, in the field of education, people can ask question through a mobile phone, a database of answers to such questions can be generated using the technologies used currently in Wikipedia and call centers and the text in these databases could be converted into voice, by developing text to voice technologies in the various Indian languages. The person seeking information can be informed when the answer is available and better answers sought based on his/her feedback. The emerging 3G and 4G mobile phone technologies can indeed facilitate such developments. An alternative technology could be to integrate the mobile phone with the television screen, so that visual information can be viewed easily. Similarly, there is a possibility for developing interactive radio, on the lines of interactive TV.