Information and Communication Technologies for Development

The new information and communication technologies (ICTs) unquestionably are the basis of the technological revolution of the new millennium as, through their use, virtually all human activity may be transformed: from government to commerce and other economic activities to mere entertainment. The explanation for this level of penetration is the impact of ICTs on the main force driving development: human intelligence. The possibility of instantaneous, low cost access to vast amounts of information has spurred creative and learning processes and brought society closer together, thereby creating countless ways to enhance quality of life for all.

But no technologies have value if not used to promote human welfare. Accordingly, public policies must be designed to circumscribe ICT use and application within visions of countries or regions wherein the public as a whole may benefit from the opportunities and advantages such technologies can afford. The interests of the public, civil society, private initiative, and government, must be harmonized. We must not forget that, in addition to serving as media for commerce, ICTs are tools capable of transforming the quality of life of entire communities.

If we bear in mind that the competitiveness demanded by the new global economy as part of globalizing processes is merely the productivity of institutions, residing precisely in the people comprising them, it is easy to see that the best competitiveness strategy is one that makes human capital as effective as possible, promoting its knowledge and creativity through the use of tools that provide a continuous learning environment in which, through study and shared experience, all human capabilities may be optimized.

The new Information and Knowledge-based Society is in fact a society online, where people disseminate and share their ideas and knowledge, aspirations, values, and needs, thereby enabling strategic groups to be established that bring together their competitive advantages over a web of links that make possible the exchange at very high speed of all information needed to generate innovative solutions. Clearly, competitiveness is linked to the speed with which such information is exchanged, simulating how our brains react via the nervous system when subjected to different stimuli. Hence the importance of connectivity, the data capacity of signal transportation infrastructure, network topology, and available applications and content.

Evidently, along with human capital and infrastructure, there is a need for a shared vision, policies, regulations, and sustainable institutions that ensure a fair, equitable, and inclusive community connectivity program. For Central American competitiveness, the strategy for the electronic ICT sector must be developed on that basis. A regional program must be designed based on a consensus of all societal stakeholders, one that guarantees that an information society will be built without exclusion, marginalization, divides, or bias, where all can access the information they seek, as they require, whenever they require, from wherever they are.

Héctor Leonel Rodríguez Milla
Executive Secretary
Comisión Técnica de Telecomunicaciones
de Centro América, COMTELCA