In the mid-1990s, as an operations manager with Sprint International, I worked in Jakarta to deliver a direct X.25 expansion to PT Indosat from the old SprintNet packet switching network. 15 years ago walking around the streets of Jakarta gave the impression of despair among much of the population, with large groups of unemployed men hanging around street corners. As a relatively well-off foreigner, I drew stares of both wonder and contempt. Internet access was possible through dial-up connections through the X.25 network and a gateway to SprintLink, Sprint's Internet network.

Returning to Jakarta in 2010 is a shock. While there is still a visible dichotomy of wealth vs. low income population, the changes in Jakarta today are stark. Aside from the rapidly rising skyline, bringing back memories of Shanghai in the 1990s, the other most obvious change is the people. Everybody is going someplace or doing something. Nobody hanging around the street corners (at least from the areas of Jakarta I have traveled over the past few days), and high end shopping malls are everywhere.

An Internet Connection on Every Corner

Broadband communications access is rapidly gaining traction as a "4^th Utility" in countries around the world. Recently, at Digital Africa 2010 in Kampala, several ministry-level delegates referenced their national initiatives building the "4^th Utility" as among their highest priorities. On March 16^th, FCC Chairman Genachowski stated "...broadband is essential for opportunity in America - for all Americans, from all communities and backgrounds, living in rural towns, inner cities, or in between."

This means that broadband communications should be considered a basic right for all Americans, and persons from all countries, at the same level of other utilities including:

1. Heating
2. Water
3. Electricity

None of the above utilities are free, all require major infrastructure development, and all are basic requirements for survival in the 21^st century.

Educational development and planning highlighted several sessions at Digital Africa 2010 last week in Kampala, Uganda.  Delegates from ministries of communications and commercial industry representing most African countries gathered to discuss both the current communications environment in Africa, as well as share best practices and visions for building a better future for Africa.

Justifiably, among nearly all delegates, education in developing parts of Africa held a special sense of urgency.  Understanding that achieving a higher standard of education throughout the continent would enable not only the opportunity to build better an environment for  economic growth, but also enable the populations to better prepare and respond to disasters and social disruptions, delegates presented several visions of how to deliver better access to academic resources.

Delivering Network Access

The news started hitting California early Saturday morning with an SMS alarm on my mobile phone - a major earthquake struck Chile, and there was a potential of tsunami activity in California and Hawaii (as well as the rest of the Pacific). First stop - CNN. The news source was right on the story, with real time information flowing into the newsroom from, not on-scene journalists, but through Twitter and Facebook updates.

Another SMS message hits the phone letting me know there was a Twitter list at #hitsunami, and the discussion would include all the most current news related to tsunami preparations in Hawaii. Also gave a link to a web page that was broadcasting a live feed from KHON in Honolulu until the station integrated their feed on the KHON home page.

Back to CNN, cell phone videos began pouring in from Santiago and Concepcion. CNN began broadcasting directly from Chile - not from a CNN journalist, but from a Chilean citizen streaming video through a Skype connection. KHON also began streaming video and audio from a private citizen through BJPENN.COM in Hilo, as KHON also did not have a real time video feed of their own, or a journalist on site that could provide adequate real time information from the city.