Internet REALLY going global

by Karen Coppock
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ICANN voted to allow non-Latin-script web addresses this week, in a nod to the 800 or so million Internet users who read and write in Arabic, Chinese and other non-Latin-script languages.

This could fundamentally change the nature of the Internet. The billions of people that use non-Latin-script languages will soon be able to access sites without having to know the Latin-script suffix (e.g., .com)...but they will still have to type in the prefix, http://

Many people have voiced in on the pros and cons of this new policy. Regardless if you consider this a good or bad move, it is definitely a move toward the increased globalization of the Internet and has distinct ramifications for multi-national firms which were accustomed to managing their brands and customer-relations on a more uniform platform.

BOP not a market? I disagree...

by Karen Coppock
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An article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, At the Base of the Pyramid, stated that "low-income people aren't actually a market."

While I agree with the fact that you need to create the market, I disagree with the basic premise that these individuals do not currently constitute a market. I bet that mobile phone companies and handset manufacturers would agree with me.

In research that Vital Wave Consulting conducted last year among individuals that earned as little as $1 a day, it became clear that there is a market for mobile phones and service. From maids to tamale street vendors to taxi cab drivers and doormen, almost all of the individuals we interviewed believed that a mobile phone would increase their income levels and standard of living. Since that survey, somewhere around half a billion more people have acquired mobile phones. Mobile phones are being purchased by some of the poorest people in the world because - as Iqbal Quadir has famously said - a phone can be an income-generating tool just like a cow.

Perhaps the key to creating new markets is empowering people to earn enough money to be able to purchase your goods and services. Poor people don't always have the luxury of purchasing gadgets that will save them time, but if you offer the opportunity of increased earnings, you just may create the market you are targeting.

Microsoft Takes a Deep Breath, Releases 7

by Brendan Smith

The long-heralded release of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, at last dropped yesterday, and that whooshing sound you hear is likely a gentle sigh of relief washing over Redmond. Reviews for the new OS have been largely positive, helping Microsoft put some of the negative atmosphere caused by the Vista OS aside. Microsoft also announced better-than-expected financial results today, despite revenue and profit declines.

Competitors are not sitting still for the hoopla though. Apple has launched advertising aimed at getting users to buy a Mac rather than going through the upgrade process, which is easy for Vista users and not-so-easy for XP users, who must do a clean install and copy and replace all files they wish to keep. And IBM is also using the opportunity to introduce its own software suite, which it launched specifically for the African market, to consumers in North America too. IBM claims that its suite could save customers 50% off the cost of migrating to Windows 7. It's part of a "Microsoft-free" alliance with Canonical, Red Hat and Novell. The initial package was aimed at African government and education users, while the North American push is targeted towards business users.

Google has also recently stepped up efforts attempting to get computer users to do more in the cloud, where it in turn is being more aggressively pushed by Microsoft. Windows 7 may signal just the parting shot of a whole new war for users' affections.

From Drain to Gain: Emerging Markets Become Knowledge Hubs

Last week, PC giant HP and UNESCO announced a big expansion of their 'Brain Gain Initiative' in the Middle East and Africa. The program provides universities with equipment, training and support to foster collaboration with experts worldwide on innovative projects via grid and cloud computing. The program is expected to grow from five universities to 20 this year, with 100 higher-education institutions projected to be enrolled by 2011. The program's backers believe that extending advanced computing resources to university students will empower them to stay in their home countries.

This project highlights the way in which multinational corporations are taking a growing interest in the development of human capital in emerging markets. In recent months, executives from companies such as GE, IBM and Intel have discussed the 'internationalization' of their research and development strategies. Corporations are investing in research and innovation centers in emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil to capitalize on expanding local economies, qualified engineering and science graduates, and highly-skilled migrants returning home. Better protections for intellectual property globally and restrictions on immigration in many developed countries have added momentum to these trends.

These developments have major implications for both individual companies and entire nations. Developed nations will find their position as knowledge leaders challenged. And as emerging markets grow, companies can increasingly tap these nations' minds as well as their markets for competitive growth. Firms that find ways to partner with local research institutions and other incubators will be poised to capitalize on new sources of innovation potential.

In the coming months, Vital Wave Consulting will be conducting original research on the globalization of intellectual capital. Stay tuned for further insights.

China and India continue to outshine the world

by Brendan Smith

China and India continue to defy the global recession, and are even using the downturn to improve their trade and investment positions. The New York Times reports that China is profiting from the slowdown by gaining market share from its export competitors. The recession has battered global trade, with export-dependent economies like Japan, China and Germany taking a big hit. Recent evidence indicates that China is recovering more quickly than other countries. It vaulted into the position of world's largest exporter for the first time this year, displacing Germany and causing the U.S. to fall to third place. China also displaced Canada for the first time as the biggest source of imports to the American economy. The Chinese government has worked to vigorously support its exporters, offering tax breaks and low interest loans. China's growing trade surpluses are igniting trade tensions, however, as textile producers and others in both emerging and developed countries feel the pain of low-cost Chinese competition.

India, meanwhile, is benefiting from a surge in foreign investment as the world economy begins to recover and investors look for higher returns than the developed economy "safe havens" can provide. India attracted $15 billion in FDI in the second quarter, its second highest total ever. The Indian stock market is booming, as are sales of autos and low-end apartments. This growth will offset the poor monsoon rains and their impact on Indian agriculture. Inflation, though, is becoming a concern, and the rupee is appreciating, potentially harming Indian competitiveness. And the Indian government still needs to raise investment in infrastructure.

China and India's growth is a bright spot in the world economy for now. If it helps the rest of the world pull out of recession, then the temporary imbalances it is creating may be of fleeting importance. Just watch out for bubbles...

HIS Speaker Series highlights the intersection of health and information

Vital Wave Consulting's latest Speaker Series presentation on Friday, October 9 put the spotlight on health information systems in the developing world. Senior Consultant Brendan Smith walked through some of the key findings from Vital Wave's newly released study entitled Health Information Systems in Developing Countries: A Landscape Analysis, a research report sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The paper seeks to analyze and characterize the developing-country landscape of national HIS ecosystems review some prominent individual examples of HIS implementations in the field to:

• identify the critical success factors
  
• determine the building blocks of scalable, sustainable projects that can strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes.

The report is the product of extensive field research around the globe and interviews with dozens of the world’s leading experts on national and regional health information systems.

Questions included the role of the private sector in developing country HIS and how the development community could take an active role in improving these systems.

Brendan also talked about a new forum called Insights on Health Information - A Global dialogue on the intersection of health and information technology. The website houses the report and also has forums that will allow for continued dialogue on the role of IT in health systems, as well as features that allow users to upload their own reports and information on HIS developments in different regions and in areas such as best practices and impact research. The site's library also contains links to papers and websites that will help users get better acquainted with the universe of resources available in the health information space.

The presentation and the audio file from the session will be posted on Vital Wave's website at www.vitalwaveconsulting.com later this week, so check back again to listen in.

The new website can be found at www.vitalwaveresearch.com/healthit

Insights on Health Information

Vital Wave Consulting is pleased to announce two exciting developments that address the growing interest around the use of information technology to improve global access to health care.

The first is the release of a new study entitled Health Information Systems in Developing Countries: A Landscape Analysis, a research report sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The paper seeks to analyze and characterize the developing-country landscape of national HIS ecosystems review some prominent individual examples of HIS implementations in the field to:

• identify the critical success factors
  
• determine the building blocks of scalable, sustainable projects that can strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes.

The report is the product of extensive field research around the globe and interviews with dozens of the world’s leading experts on national and regional health information systems.

The report will be housed on a new forum called Insights on Health Information - A Global dialogue on the intersection of health and information technology. The website also has forums that will allow for continued dialogue on the role of IT in health systems, as well as features that allow users to upload their own reports and information on HIS developments in different regions and in areas such as best practices and impact research. The site's library also contains links to papers and websites that will help users get better acquainted with the universe of resources available in the health information space.

We hope that both the report and the forum may serve to stimulate constructive conversations on how technology can play a role in improving access to quality health care for all. We welcome your participation and feedback.

The new website can be found at www.vitalwaveresearch.com/healthit

Gorillas and computers

by Karen Coppock
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Had the pleasure of having breakfast with Lawrence Zikusoka and his wife, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka (and their two lovely children) this morning. Lawrence and Glady are the founders of Conservation Through Public Health in Uganda.

The couple was in town to present and exhibit their work at the Wildlife Conservation Network expo and to present at UC Davis.

CTPH leverages the expertise of their two founders - Lawrence is a telecommunications specialists and Gladys a veterinarian (both are conservationists) - to offer programs in wildlife health (primarily gorillas), human health and information, education and communication. Their innovative work in disease transmission control and increasing economic opportunities for people that live in protected areas in Africa has been recognized by a long list of awards including San Diego Zoo Conservation in Action Award, World Summit Award for Digital Inclusion, Conservation Fund Award from Skal International Kampala, Whitley Fund for Nature Gold Award and an Ashoka Fellowship.

Computers and gorillas seem like an odd mix, but CTPH recognizes the value of the wildlife and public health data they are collecting and technology can facilitate its widespread dissemination. Technology can also assist with providing economic opportunities for the people that live in or near remote wildlife parks to stem urban migration and hopefully poaching. Perhaps it is not such an odd combination.

First isiXhosa mNovel written in South Africa

by Karen Coppock
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Steve Vosloo let me know that the Shuttleworth Foundation has just launched the world's first mNovel written in both isiXhosa (an indigenous South African language) and English.

The first chapter of this teen mystery story set in Cape town (about a group of graffiti artists) is available at: http://kontax.mobi - you can read it on your WAP-enabled phone (or your PC).

Check back daily as a new chapter will be posted every day through October 19th.

According to the press release for this mNovel, the pro of mNovels is that it allows teens access books, which are largely unaffordable for them, using the most commonly available technology tool in Africa - the mobile phone. The con is that they many teens use "txtspk"when writing on a mobile phone, which hinders, rather than improves, literacy. The Shuttleworth Foundation is working with University of Cape Town researchers to determine the impact of these novels on teens.

What are your thoughts on mNovels and m4Lit?

Innovating to Increase Rural Reach

The Chinese government's economic stimulus program is giving a shot in the arm to PC sales in the vast but poor rural markets of China. The more than 700 million people that live in these areas have lacked access to the electronic and consumer goods that are now so pervasive in the country's big cities. But in August alone, more than 400,000 PCs were sold under a program that gives rural residents a 13% rebate for select products.

While such financial incentives have been crucial to increasing sales, PC makers like Lenovo and HP are also tapping into longstanding cultural practices and novel distribution methods to increase their market share in small towns and villages. Lenovo has begun a marketing campaign touting its PCs as betrothal gifts. PCs make appealing gifts in part because the large boxes they are packaged in create a buzz for families when they are delivered. HP, meanwhile, has expanded its reach in rural China by sponsoring entertainment events and sending buses with glitzy product displays to small towns, along with vans that sell PCs and other products. This has allowed the company to overcome the relatively large distances of many villages from electronics stores and helped boost its market share in China from 5% to 14% in just four years. PC makers have also increased their sales to consumers in rural China, where per capita income is only about $700, by offering lower-priced models.

All of these tactics demonstrate how important a tailored approach that considers the local cultural, logistical and economic realities is to successfully penetrating new markets. Many consumers in rural markets are hungry for modern conveniences but may still be attached to tradition, live far from traditional distributions channels and have limited purchasing power. Finding innovative ways to make products culturally relevant, affordable and available to rural consumers can be a recipe for success.