EION CEO invited to address World Bank Group on Wireless Technology for Rural Communities

Ottawa, Canada; June 15, 2004 - Dr.Kalai Kalaichelvan, EION President and CEO, will be speaking at the "Wireless for Development: New Connectivity Solutions for Digital Inclusion" webcast organized by the E-Development branch of the World Bank Group on Wednesday June 16, 2004.  The seminar will be broadcast through the Internet to sites in Washington, Boston, Brasilia, Lima and Managua.

A select group of speakers will present key concepts, issues and promising initiatives on the factors affecting Internet connectivity in developing countries, and how emerging wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and WiMax have evolved over the years, offering new and more afordable alternatives.  The deployment of Wi-Fi networks and hot-spots is growing rapidly in most developed countries, particularly in urban areas.  As new business models emerge, and wireless technologies are adopted, business and NGO communities in developing markets are trying to catch up.

Dr. Kalai Kalaichelvan will speak at 09:30am EST on the key concepts and the business case to deploy wireless technologies in rural communities.  He will outline the socioeconomic impact of such technologies and assert that the information infrastructure has become a necessity for the rural communities similar to the physical infrastructures such as water, roads and energy resources.  He will describe EION's Rural Network in a Box and the case study of how it is being deployed in various remote communities.

Webcast participation details:
Date: Wednesday June 16, 2004
Time: 09:00 - 11:30 EST
Contact: Ximena Gutierrez, xgutierrez@worldbank.org, (202) 473-0354