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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=2><SPAN class=689341111-17012011>Kenya not
mention in the Press Release though.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=689341111-17012011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT size=2><SPAN
class=689341111-17012011>Victor</SPAN><SPAN class=689341111-17012011><FONT
face=Arial color=#0000ff> </FONT></SPAN></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<P align=center><IMG src="cid:2232an$IN568012950082470@groupmail-events"
border=0></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
class=greentext><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Commonwealth ICT
Officials to Meet in Jaipur, India, to Surmount Challenges to Rural ICT
Connectivity <o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Providing
an enabling environment for increased provision of access, applications, content
and services in rural areas.</SPAN></B><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=ColorfulList-Accent11CxSpFirst
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-add-space: auto"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">January
13, 2010 LONDON – Some one hundred Ministers, regulators, Universal Service Fund
Administrators, telecom operator CEOs, and other senior stakeholders in the
information and communication technologies (ICTs) sector from across Asia and
the Commonwealth will meet in Jaipur, India, from 17-19 January 2011.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They will work together to devise
faster, effective and more robust strategies for providing ICT connectivity in
unserved and underserved rural areas. The meeting will be the 4<SUP>th</SUP>
annual Connecting Rural Communities Asia Forum 2011 organised by the
London-based Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO). The conference
will be addressed by African and Asian ICT ministers, including Hon. Ignace
Gatare, Minister in Charge of ICTs, Office of the President, Rwanda; Hon.
Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa, Minister of Communications and Transport, Zambia;
Hon. Abdourahim Agne, Minister of Telecommunications, ICT and
Transport, Senegal; Dr Edmund Katiti, CEO of the NEPAD e-Africa
Commission;</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">
Mr. Shankar Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Department of Information Technology,
Government of India</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">;
and</SPAN><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'"><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">Mr.
Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information and
Innovation, Government of India.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=ColorfulList-Accent11CxSpLast
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-add-space: auto"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Stressing
on the need to connect rural communities, the CEO of CTO, Dr. Ekwow
Spio-Garbrah, said, “Providing network access to rural communities is one of the
recommendations of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and
supports the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined by the
UN. Self-sustaining growth in broadband access and other more basic connectivity
channels must be achieved in underserved and unconnected regions. However, this
can only be accomplished through continuous and fruitful collaborations between
a variety of public and private sector partners. It also involves sharing best
practices among ICT stakeholders across continents to ensure successful and
speedy implementation of ICT strategies. This CTO conference will enable
Governments, policy makers, ICT regulators, operators, equipment manufacturers,
software vendors, call center operatives, financiers, academics and
consultants, and infrastructure developing companies to meet to discuss and
evaluate the achievements, challenges and opportunities in connecting rural
communities.”</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 5pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">Dr
Spio-Garbrah stated that, amongst other challenges, ICT roll-out in rural areas
can entail considerable investment. “However, in the developing countries, these
challenges can be even more daunting. There are many </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">constraints
of unreliable power, poor road networks, low broadband capacity, illiteracy,
lower incomes, and diverse socio-political dynamics. As a result</SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">,
some have questioned the financial merits of investing in rural ICTs, and
whether rural communities provide the necessary return on investment. The
conference will help to highlight the latest technological solutions, innovative
business models, and the Public-Private-Peoples’ Partnerships needed for
improved rural connectivity. In particular, participants will examine the
growing</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">
use of mobile phones as platforms to deliver a growing range of mobile
applications, content and services to rural dwellers,”</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">
he said.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">The
conference will cover topics on key issues concerning the strategies for
improving governance and public services delivery through ICTs,<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>the </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">disparities
in rural and urban access, a </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">review
of recent developments in Asia and globally, and Rural ICT Policy 2.0. Other
issues to be discussed include developing national goals and strategies for
providing connectivity, applications and content in rural areas, </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Meiryo">operators’
strategies in improving rural dwellers’ access to services, the </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">development
of effective distribution networks for rural areas and its challenges, <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>tried and tested approaches to pricing
and profitability, and the </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'">business
case and strategies for rural broadband access. Other subjects to be debated by
participants are the benefits of 3G and broadband wireless availability in the
rural communities, the importance of WiMax, </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">m-Content
developments, the impact of <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: black">cultural gaps and capacity-building challenges for both
voice and non-voice operations, and the benefits and perceived risks of running
rural Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs).</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Speakers
and panelists include high-profile representation from public and private sector
organizations, such as the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, the Telecommunications
Consultants India Ltd., the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the
Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), the Tanzania
Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), the National Communications
Authority (NCA) of Ghana, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), the
Nigerian Communications Commission, the National Communications Commission
(NATCOM) of Sierra Leone, and the<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC). India’s ICT
sector will be heavily represented through participation by executives of the
Telecom Export Promotion Council (TEPC), the Cellular Operators Association of
India (COAI), BSNL, Idea Cellular Ltd., Reliance Communications, City Cell
Bangladesh, the GSMA, the Communications & Manufacturing Association of
India (CMAI) and Coral Telecom. Other major global and Asian private sector
executives attending are from Tejas Networks, Research in Motion, WiMAX Forum,
Microsoft, Alvarion BWA Wireless Solutions Pvt Ltd, the Asia Pacific Telecentre
Network (APTN) Secretariat, ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, C-DOT, GTL, VIOM, Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Google India, Luna Ergonomics,
elLoka Techsolutions Pvt Ltd, and the Centre for Development Finance. Other
delegates will represent Hungama Mobile, the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme, Government of Rajasthan, SourcePilani, eGram IT, Source for Change, B2R
Technologies Pvt. Ltd, NASSCOM Foundation,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>the Universal Service Obligation Fund, Department of Telecommunications,
Government of India, the Commonwealth Centre for e-Governance, Reuters Market
Light, Thomson Reuters, Reliance Foundation, UDAAN, EKO Financial Services,
EkGaon, NComputing India, Phoenix Software and the Drishtee
Foundation.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; tab-stops: -8.1pt 36.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: '?????? Pro W3'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">About
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">The
CTO is an inter-governmental organisation which provides technical assistance
services to its member countries through research and studies, consultancies and
advisory services, capacity building and training workshops, and through
knowledge-sharing events. With a history dating back to 1901, the CTO is a
partnership between the Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments,
regulators, businesses, civil society organizations and other ICT stakeholders.
The CTO’s mission is to reduce global poverty through the more efficient
utilization of ICTs, and its development agenda reflects the priorities set in
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">For
further information visit </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><A
href="http://www.cto.int"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">www.cto.int</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">CONTACTS<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">For media
enquiries, please contact:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Rumana
B.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Senior
Marketing and Communications Specialist</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">T: + 44
(0) 208 600 3800, </SPAN><SPAN lang=DE
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: DE">E:
</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><A href="mailto:rumana@cto.int"><SPAN lang=DE
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: DE">rumana@cto.int</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">
</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">For CTO
Services, please contact:</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Bashir
Patel<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">Director
of Programmes and Business Development<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">T:
+ 44 208 600 3802, E:</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f497d; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">
</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><A href="mailto:b.patel@cto.int"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">b.patel@cto.int</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f497d; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">-###-<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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