Wireless Africa - First Inch, First Mile

The challenge faced by many African countries is how to harness the power of ICTs in order to fight poverty and improve the quality of life of all people. Many initiatives have been implemented but failed due to lack of or poor connectivity.

The FM/FI project seeks to address this shortcoming by innovating different ways of providing connectivity to the user (First Mile) and streamlining the interface between the user and the computer (First Inch). This will include a range of First mile technologies including WiFi, power line communications (PLCs) and mesh networks and Fist Inch technologies such as IVR, Voice messaging and HLT.

Local research partners in each of four countries, namely Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa, will do the project implementation. A key objective of this project is to build a research network of researchers in the region and it is hoped that other partners from other countries will join in the network.

The project is not only technical but also has a social dimension. Emphasis will be on the social aspects of the project implementation not only affecting the project beneficiaries but also on the boundary partners i.e. people with whom the project will interact and seek to influence. This measurement of behavioural changes in terms of outcomes is known as Outcomes Mapping.