Back Home

Connectivity Fair

The conference featured a Connectivity Fair, staged on the ground floor of the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa from 2 - 3 June 1998. The objective of the fair was to provide opportunities for demonstrating the development utility of ICTs -- in such areas as distance learning and telemedicine. The private sector, represented among others by Siemens, Teledesic, and Iridium, featured a wide array of products . The fair featured model telecentres, public places providing computers with Internet resources and e-mail access, and low-cost telephone services and designed to facilitate access for traditionally marginalized groups. Prominent among the exhibitors were the WorldSpace Corporation -- which aims to launch regional and global digital satellite radio networks -- and its non-profit affiliate WorldSpace Foundation, which plans to facilitate the broadcasting of development programming in Africa, Asia and Latin America.