Mobile phones can be the way into the information society for lower income people and less developed regions. Some structural factors help: mobile phones do not require either electricity or special training and the costs of connectivity are much lower than those of landline telephones.

Through an initiative of the Information Network for Civil Society (RITS), Latin American and Caribbean actors met in Rio de Janeiro in November 2007. Why in Rio and what for? To exchange ideas on the issues that were debated at the second Internet Governance Forum. Read the main pointers.

Journalist Miguel Peirano finds that "Many people think that a laptop for every child is a magic solution and that just giving the children a machine will make them happy," in his well-documented opinion piece about the CEIBAL Plan. This Uruguyan adaptation of the One Laptop Per Child project turns this South American nation into the only country in the world that has adopted, as government policy, the proposal to endow every schoolchild with a low-cost laptop connected to the internet.

Education, collaboration and co-operation marry and merge in the Argentine classroom, through a unique volunteer-driven project called GLEducar. This project was innovative enough to earn a special mention from the jury of the first APC Chris Nicol FOSS Prize. In this interview, Gleducar secretary Daniel Osvaldo Cardaci explains their logic and concerns.

“An attack on net neutrality and an act of censorship,” was how Miguel Acosta, editor of a New York-based Paraguayan newspaper referred to the measure taken by the Paraguayan Communication Company to block access to internet telephony or voice over internet protocol (VoIP). Civil society has responded forcefully to this situation.

Emails, text messages and the media spread the word: the Chilean government has signed one of the broadest known-agreements to date with the Microsoft Corporation, covering aspects of education, management of personal data, and support for local governments (municipalities) and the micro enterprise sector.

“This is a technology that works, a proven technology, and what it needs is a bit more promotion,” said Ermanno Pietrosemoli just days after reaching a new wireless connection record of 382 kilometres. The president of Venezuelan APC member EsLaRed spoke with APCNews by conference call about this low-cost solution that is impacting the world’s rural communities.

Applications are now being accepted until May 18 for technical training scholarships that will cover expenses for attending the first workshop of the TRICALCAR project. This community based wireless networks project is initiated by APC-members in South America. The workshop will be held in Huaral, Peru from July 16 to 21, 2007.

“TRICALCAR” is a Spanish abbreviation that stands for Weaving Wireless Community Networks in Latin America and the Caribbean. But much more than an abbreviation, it is in fact a project. It brings together ten partner organisations that are all dedicated to training Latin American computer network administrators in building and administering community wireless networks.