The Challenge of Sustainability: the Difficulty of Operating Rural PC Kiosks

Abstract

India is a thriving testing ground for people working in "Information and Communication Technology for Development," or ICT4D. Many of these projects take the form of a PC being taken to a rural village and operated like a small Internet cafe or kiosk, with the two-pronged goals of making socio-economic impact and turning the kiosk into a profitable micro-enterprise. A mounting body of evidence indicates, however, that it is extremely difficult to meet both goals simultaneously. I will give an overview of some work done at MSR India in this area, offer some analysis on what makes the goals challenging, and suggest some areas for future exploration.