Investment in Educational Services Creates Opportunity for Operators

The use of mobile technology in education will increase as access and devices become more widely available to lower-income consumers and rural areas, making educational services a major growth opportunity for operators. However, there are some critical aspects to delivering successful information and communication technologies (ICT) programs, according to a new report from Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).

Internet-Based Education Initiatives: More Funding Is Creating More Opportunity highlights some important aspects in delivering successful and long-term ICT educational programs. It starts by highlighting the importance of taking a whole-system approach to an educational ICT initiative. This 16-page report then looks at the factors that help ensure the initiative is viable and can provide lasting benefits, and highlight the role - traditionally addressed by PCs and fixed-line technologies - that mobile technology can play in education. Finally, it offers several case studies of the use of ICT in education from around the world, indicating the diverse ways in which ICTs are used in education. Download an excerpt (http://www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR121709_ IN GL1.2) of this report. Purchase this report online (http://www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_gl_091209.htm?sc= PR121709_ IN GL1.2)

Investments in ICT in education continue to be an important area of development, particularly where private sector investment and households have seen declines in income and spending, notes Jan ten Sythoff, author of the report and analyst at Pyramid Research. Mobile technology will have an increasingly important role to play in educational service, due to its availability, affordability and ease of use. "Pyramid believes that to be successful, ICT investments in education in developing regions need to be tailored to local needs and designed for long-term financial viability," he says, "and mobile technology should be increasingly integrated, given its widespread availability and affordability."

"Successful educational ICT programs need to look at the larger picture, including hardware, software, access, content, and training," Sythoff says. "For example, the MTN Schools Connect project in Nigeria encompasses hardware, access, and training and also includes the provision of electricity, which is, of course, key for all ICT projects and is not always available," he explains.

Coordination at several different levels provides the best results. "ICT investments in education should not be looked at in isolation but also in conjunction with other government policies, such as encouraging competition in ICT markets to increase availability and decrease costs," says Sythoff. "Mozambique is an example where a coordinated government policy has driven Internet access rates over the past few years, and is currently enjoying the benefits, including higher Internet usage, improvements in education levels and lower poverty rates."

Internet-Based Education Initiatives: More Funding Is Creating More Opportunity is part of Pyramid Research's Global Telecom Insider report series. Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you information you can leverage to make better business decisions.

Download an excerpt of this report here (http://www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR121709_ IN GL1.2). This report is priced at $595 and can be purchased online here (http://www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_gl_091209.htm?sc= PR121709_ IN GL1.2) or by contacting Amalia Vega at avega@pyr.com or telephone at +1-619-229-9940.

For more information about Pyramid Research's products and services, please visit www.pyr.com or contact us at info@pyr.com.

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