Telecentre Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead - TIS Talks 2012 Summary

Jimena Betancourt
jbetancourt@telecentre.org
@jimebeta

Good bye to the talk
Hello to Technology, Innovation and
Sustainability

First mover advantage
(ICT access)
Digital Divide
MDGs
Government funding available
Government and NGO driven

A movement is born

New players: Rapid growth of mobile solutions
MDGs
Funding shifts towards propositions with different value added (rise of
entrepreneurship and innovation in the field)
“BoP businesses demonstrate financial viability and socio – economic –
environmental returns.
Multi-stakeholder initiatives are driving innovation
Addressing sustainability becomes the norm
Leapfrog private sector investments
Environment of disruptive actors from all sides: (Donors, entrepreneurs,
private sector, social sector, investors)
In a rapidly changing environment

By leveraging key competitive advantages:

Leverage capabilities to aggregate demand
Leveraging human, social and organizational capital
Capitalize on the brand’s reputation in the communities and
among stakeholders
Leverage its position and knowledge in ‘high growth markets’ -
BOP and beyond
Leverage networks (all types, at all levels)

When staying updated requires adding value
to the telecentre proposition

By tackling communications and information
technology opportunities:
Benefit from the advancement of BOP focused businesses
(lessons, models, products and services)
User centered innovation
Use of available technologies
Build data-collection expertise
MDGs
What are the next 20 years going to look like?


Addressing :
Organizations are unable to execute commercial
transactions. … How to build channels? Is Social
enterprise an enabler?
How to stay up-to-date with innovations and disruptions
in our environment? Do we need a research and
development engine? A think thank for telecentre
sustainability?
Avoid wheel reinvention
Ensure widespread knowledge of opportunities
Collaboration--instead of competition--as the norm when
working with mobile solutions

By preparing our organizations to operate in a demanding
and rapidly-changing environment
Improve management
Improve operations
Invest in human resource development/ focus on human capital and its capacity
Reshaping models and institutions around sustainability and self finance

1.

2.

3.

Building
Knowledge

Finding
Solu2ons
and

Partners

Planning
and
Managing
for

Technology,
Innova2on,
and

Sustainability

THREE
PHASES:

PHASE 1
• Learn from networks that have achieved
sustainability
• Explore social innovation and social enterprise as
paths for sustainability for telecentre networks
• Learn from proven business models leveraging
ICT for markets at the Base of the Pyramid
Goals:

Marketorientedsustainability

Non market oriented sustainability
Four strategies for
sustainability
x

y

Marketorientedsustainability

Non market oriented sustainability
Four strategies for
sustainability

Market-orientedsustainability

Non market-oriented sustainability
Challenges in introducing business models in
telecentres
Perception among the telecentre practitioners
(most initiatives run under subsidized model
with donor money)
Market distortion at field level and dominance
of FREE services at the user level
Balancing profit vs. social cause, especially at
local level
Lack of resources for innovation and prototyping
Low level of awareness among stakeholders
Conceptual limitations among the telecentre
practitioners
Lack of availability of ‘success models’ / case
studies


Setting the vision with strategy
Targeting the untapped BoP market for growth and
service packaging
Integration of inclusiveness in the business model
Positioning telecentres as a hub for social and
commercial services
Resilience
Building partnerships with development agencies,
and the private sector
Combination of mobile and PC-based services
Addressing the Challenges


Four strategies for
sustainability



Telecentre Convergence
Social – commercial
Close to community –
Remote
Not always updated in ICT
-Updated
Mgmt skills undeveloped –
Management skills updated
Skilled people contributing
Towards service portfolio,
Intense use of mgmt tools and data to
understand and map capabilities of
2070 telcentres
Mid and long term planning - Become
content provider - Partnerships with
government
Proactive marketing
Model to enable = Sales
agent
No warehouse hassle
No invoice
Best fit: Distant Learning,
software donations channel
( TSG )

Partnership Intensive
For ICT training and others
( Microsoft, IBM, Ticket
Restaurant
Deep unerstanding and
knowledge of network


Non Market-oriented sustainability

Sustainability factors
Innovation
ICT advocacy
Network with multi-stakeholder
approach
Skilled HR
Strategic alliances
Focus on “priority” communities
Partnership intense to
move ICT forward
Red de telecentros de
Colombia (Colnodo
provides the network
with projects) –
Collaboration and
knowledge-sharing
Only ICT training /
open to explore



Sustainability factors
Innovation
Community generated
content
Marginalized & isolated
Visibility
Knowledge oriented
Service development
Community portals (100)
Social Capital ( 60+
volunteers that provide
professional consulting
services)
Knowledge Hubs
Empower
disadvantaged
communities by
transforming
selected ICT access
points / telecentres
into knowledge
hubs that are
connected at the
regional and global
levels

Moving forward…
Revenue from core
communication
applications.
Generating revenue
from diverse fees
and services.
Gradual growth of
other revenue
sources.
Identification of
information and
communication
needs of the users.

Think thanks and business accelerators on
innovation, BOP & social enterprise.
Telecentres have a highly competitive
position in the the social enterprise
market and BoP arenas
Innovation needs direction
Good evidence on what works and what
doesn’t
How are telecentres going to look in 20
years from now ?
How is knowledge being managed?
How to direct innovation in the
movement?
Are core capabilities for the information
generation being capitalized on?

PHASE
2

• Identify partners to develop distribution channels of
ICT products and services such as e-health, distance
education, telecommunication solutions and many
more
• Identify system management solutions based on
open source applications
• Identify solutions to lower hardware cost
• Identify partners to develop applications for greater
impact in the communities served by telecentre
networks

Goals:

PHASE
2

Distribution Channels
ICT Innovation Hubs
Value-added channels
Operations and
Management
Approach:

Distribution Channels
Channels of solutions for socio-economic development &
poverty alleviation
What solutions?
How to build know-how re: channel development?
How to perform “due diligence” for potential providers?
Is the use of mobile a market enabler?
What is the sector-specific knowledge for market
development (agriculture, education, health, financial
solutions)
What would a telecentre franchise look like?
What constitutes a “good deal” with a supplier?
Distribution
Channels
ICT
Innovation
Hubs
Value added
channels
Operations
and
Management

Distribution
Channels
ICT Innovation
Hubs
Value-added
channels
Operations and
Management

ICT Innovation Hubs
Idea Labs (environment for prototyping)
(Telecentre + mobile) led by consumer-driven
innovation
Focus on core capabilities and building strategic
partnerships to fill in gaps
How to develop for the movement?
How to develop with the movement?
How to build know-how re: (Telecentre + mobile) ?
How to communicate the know-how?
How to perform due diligence on potential
suppliers?
Is the use of mobile an enabler for greater impact?
Distribution
Channels
ICT
Innovation
Hubs
Value-added
channels
Operations
and
Management

Value-added channels
Content and services
Knowledge / User-generated knowledge
How to build data collection capabilities?
What data collection products can be developed
for government, development agencies, donors
and investors?
Distribution
Channels
ICT Innovation
Hubs
Value-added
channels
Operations
and
Management

Distribution
Channels
ICT Innovation
Hubs
Value-added
channels
Operations
and
Management
Operations and Management
Preparing our organizations to operate in a
demanding and rapidly-changing
environment
Improve management
Improve operations
Invest in human resource development/ focus
on human capital and its capacity
Reshaping models and institutions around
sustainability and self finance

Distributions
Channels
ICTInnovation
Hubs
Value added
channels
Operations and
Management

Distributions
Channels
ICT Innovation
Hubs
Value added
channels
Operations and
Management

PHASE
3

• Eﬀec2ve
fundraising

• Tools
for
eﬀec2ve
planning
and
managing
of
social

enterprises

Goals:

Resource Movilization
Funding eco – system
Sustainability and self financing in funder’s agendas
How to finance social innovation?
How to finance social enterprise?
“There are areas of interest for telecentres that will allow
them to participate in scalable and global inititives… It is key
to build expertise & to develop services with proven
demand…
Telecentres should move away from basic ICT training and
move towards strategic areas to create solutions to global
issues.

Effective
Resource
Mobilization

How to stay tune with innovations and disruptions in our environment? Do we need a
research and development engine? A think thank for telecentre sustainability?
Telecentres have a highly competitive position in the the social enterprise market and
BoP arenas. Innovation needs direction. Good evidence on what works and what
doesn’t. How are telecentres going to look in 20 years from now ? How is knowledge
being managed? How to direct innovation in the movement? Are core capabilities for
the information generation being capitalized on? What solutions?
How to build know-how re: channel development? How to perform “due diligence”
for potential providers? Is the use of mobile a market enabler? What is the sector-
specific knowledge for market development (agriculture, education, health, financial
solutions) What would a telecentre franchise look like? What constitutes a “good deal”
with a supplier? How to develop for the movement? How to develop with the
movement? How to build know-how re: (Telecentre + mobile) ? How to communicate
the know-how? How to perform due diligence on potential suppliers?
Is the use of mobile an enabler for greater impact? How to build data collection
capabilities? What data collection products can be developed for government,
development agencies, donors and investors?

What should the TIS Talks prioritize
now ?
Knowledge and
Sharing.
Research and
Sharing
Know How
Distribution
Channels
Know How
Innovation
Hubs
Training with
regional focus in
resource
movilization and
strategy for
sustainability
Incubation of
solutions
( acelerator )

now ?
Research = innovation, social enterprise,
resource mobilization, solutions (p&s),
Expertise
Communicate

Research and
Sharing

now ?
Knowledge
and sharing.
Expand TIS Talks content
Specialized content
Communicate

now ?
Training with regional
focus in resource
movilization and
strategy for
sustainability
Knowledge development at regional level
Support with proposal design. Support with
integration of value added proposition and
sustainability strategy .
Donor Management and orientation
Knowledge management at global network
level

now ?
Know How
Distribution
Channels
Know How
Innovation
Hubs
Design and implement pilots with potential
partners (TIS partners and others)
Pilots: action based research implementing
distribution channels
Innovation Hubs
Needs networks with entrepreneurial culture
Needs management capacity and planning

now ?
Incubation of solutions ref: management system
solutions . Vital Innova
Identify solutions
Incubation of ideas and products from the talent that
gravitates the telecentre
(hackers, programmers, designers, telecentres managers)
Incubation of
solutions

We want to hear
from you
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Telecentre Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead - TIS Talks 2012 Summary

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Telecentre Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead - TIS Talks 2012 Summary