Affordable Technologies for Sustainable Development

This reference document examines the increasing presence of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the microfinance sector in India and China. It discusses the following:

The IT sector in India and China and presents a quick overview of the facts and numbers, including:

• Details of a report that highlights ten trends for revenue opportunities in wire line and wireless technologies;
• India's place in the United Nation's (UN) e-readiness index;
• The number of internet surfers in China - 80 million.

Policies and recommendations for ICT sector development, presenting:

• The China Business Summit Report;
• The Summary of the Tenth Five Year Plan;
• Strategies for developing China's software industry.

The contribution of the ICT industry to social and economic development, detailing:

• The opportunities and challenges as seen in:
  • The Regional Human Development report;
  • The role of ICT in fighting rural poverty;
  • ICT's transformation of rural India.
• Various case studies.

The relationship between microfinance and ICT, providing information about:

• The increasing access to microfinance using ICTs;
• Expanding microfinance with digital technologies;
• Providing rural phone service profitably in poor countries;
• The uses of the internet to microcredit loan officers in rural China.

Public-private partnerships, presenting information about:

• The Asian Forum on ICT Policies and e-Strategies;
• Public-private partnerships and financing ICT developments;
• The announcement of microfinance partnerships by international agencies.