🚀 go-pugleaf

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For those of us who are interested in communications in developing
countries, this is a step in the right direction.

Martin



<<<FORWARDED>>>

Given the current thread of the discussion regarding IT and development,
I thought this could be of
interest.

Best regards,

Gary Garriott
Director
Informatics
VITA
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 3, 1998
                                                                   Joe =
Sedlak, VITA - 703/276-1800
                                                 Roye Bourke, SatelLife -
 617/789-5955

SATELLIFE AND VITA PLAN NEW DEVELOPING COUNTRY
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

Boston, MA, Arlington, VA. Dr. Bernard Lown, Chairman and Founder of =
SatelLife, and Henry Norman, President of Volunteers in Technical =
Assistance (VITA) announced today an agreement to collaborate in =
creating a global email system dedicated to humanitarian and development =
purposes. The proposed system will combine the use of HealthSat II and =
VITAsat as well as gateways to the Internet located at the extreme north =
and south of the globe. Both low earth orbiting satellites will be part =
of a system that will eventually include five to twelve satellites.=20

Both non profit organizations agreed to work together to form a =
coalition of other organizations that own satellite capacity and are =
willing to permit use of their unused capacity for humanitarian and =
development activities in the developing world. All organizations would =
remain independent and the program would be carried out through =
cooperative agreements rather than the creation of a new entity with its =
own bureaucracy. Norman said, "several American and European =
organizations have already indicated a desire to participate."

HealthSat II is a component of SatelLife's unique communications system =
called HealthNet, which has played an important role in combating =
information poverty and isolation among health care professionals in =
developing countries. SatelLife utilizes its system for the =
dessimination and exchange of relevant health-related information.=20

VITA, which has provided technical information to requesters for forty =
years,  pioneered the non-military use of LEOs and was awarded a =
Pioneer's Preference by the Federal Communications Commission in 1994. =
The latest VITASat was launched last September from Russia.

VITA and SatelLife have agreed that the two organizations will petition =
the FCC to permit VITA to share its operational license with SatelLife.=20

A parallel initiative is being mounted by VITA and the European =
non-governmental organization (NGO) TOOL to create a coalition of NGOs =
and other nonprofit organizations. The NGOs engaged in humanitarian and =
development activities in the developing world will have priority use of =
the system in exchange for their assistance to indigenous organizations =
in developing information technology skills.

Dr. Lown and Mr. Norman agreed that realizing the goals of their =
collaboration face many political, regulatory, financial and =
organizational hurdles. Details of the joint effort remain to be worked =
out and then approved by the governing bodies of both groups as well as =
those of the others who will join the coalition.=20

The design of a ground station that can communicate with many different =
satellites and yet is inexpensive is critical to the success of this =
venture. Licensing users in countries where telecommunications is still =
a monopoly will be also challenging. Raising funds and obtaining =
equipment will require energy and dedication.

Despite these challenges, both Lown and Norman expressed confidence that =
the clear need for reliable low cost communications in remote areas of =
the developing world would help them convince others to join them in the =
essential effort to overcome the obstacles to developing country =
communications. Lown and Norman state that "poor communications is a =
major obstacle to bringing people in remote areas of the developing =
countries into the mainstream of development. Several studies indicate =
that improvement in communications has a demonstrable impact on the =
improvement of the lives of people. We commit our two organizations to =
work together to achieve that goal."


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