The Mobile Web in Developing Countries
Venue
W3C Workshop on the Mobile Web in Developing Countries, W3C, W3C (2006)
Publication Year
2006
Authors
BibTeX
Abstract
The mobile web in developing countries has received increasing attention within the
last few years, both as a potential means of bridging the digital divide as well as
a lucrative market opportunity. However, while the realized gains so far as well as
the potential are indeed tremendous, significant challenges remain to be overcome.
Mobile data usage, particularly for advanced data applications, faces difficulties
that are different from those posed by the initial expansion of voice services. The
needs and environments of developing countries are very diverse, with as many
significant differences perhaps as similarities, making it difficult to replicate
country-specific solutions. In addition, while one traditional migration route of
functionality – from the desktop to the handheld – may be viable in the
industrialized world, it is not clear that this is the likely best approach in
developing countries. What does seem clear is that there is a definite and
significant need for further research examining the characteristics and challenges
of the mobile web in developing countries at all layers, ranging from applications
to networking. We sketch examples of such research issues, and mention specific
roles the W3C could potentially play. This brief position paper presents these
hypotheses with the goal of stimulating discussion at the workshop.
