TMCnet News
Alcatel Aids Broadband Project in Madagascar TMCnet Contributing Editor Alcatel signed an agreement with ATD Quart Monde, a world anti-poverty organization, and Data Telecom Service (DTS), an Internet service provider, to supply broadband Internet access to the deprived people of Antananarivo in Madagascar.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel (News - Alert) will help establish IT discovery and training programs for people between the ages of 16 and 25 years old in disadvantaged areas. Once the first twenty young people are trained, they will be directed to train the rest of the group. The company will also help to create a “craft cooperative” with adults in the area who will produce products for the home market (peanut oil, wooden furniture, etc.) to be sold online. “The objective, after two years, is to offer jobs to 50 or so craftsmen and women that will provide a living for some 300 people,” noted the company’s news release.
Through the partnership, Alcatel will provide telecom equipment free of charge (a WiMAX station and associated terminals), and will help to set up and run the project. ATD Quart Monde will help people competent in using the broadband Internet access provided as part of the project, at the five chosen sites in Antananarivo. DTS will cover all the connection costs for two years for the five sites and will help the craft cooperative to create its Web site.
“This project with our partners, ATD Quart Monde and DTS, dovetails perfectly with Alcatel’s commitment to reduce the digital divide in the poorly served regions, since it will give the very disadvantaged people of Antananarivo broadband access to the Internet. Access to these services is essential to economic and social development,” said Alcatel’s Digital Bridge manager Thierry Albrand in a statement.
Alcatel made news earlier this month when it announced that it joined Nokia (News - Alert) to extend its business telephony offering to the mobile workforce by way of the Nokia Eseries, a suite of business class devices. The Intellisync Call Connect for Alcatel will integrate Nokia Eseries devices into the Alcatel IP Communication server.
With Intellisync Call Connect for Alcatel in place, popular desk phone functionalities are available to the mobile user such as call conferencing, call back, and dial by name. Employees will be able to manage just one business number, and control where and when and on which device they receive their calls.
Alcatel
ATD Quart Monde
Data Telecom Service
-------
Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.
|