CPRsouth 8 / CPRafrica 2013 - Mysore, India

• the title of the paper
• your name and contact information (email address and mobile no.)
• an abstract of the paper (no more than 750 words including a minimum of three, and a maximum of five, keywords from the list above.  Abstracts should include at least three, but preferably more, references to prior work.  (References and keywords are outside the 750-word limit)
• a curriculum vitae of no more than one page
• the document must be named: CPRafrica2013_abstract&Bio_YourLastName.doc

1. PRINCIPAL RESEARCH QUESTION(15%): Captures the essence of the proposal in no more than 50 words
2. POLICY RELEVANCE (15%): The relevance of the proposal to identified decision-makers in the ICT space is explicated
3. COMPONENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS (15%): Breaks down the research question further and is linked to the research plan
4. RESEARCH PLAN (45%): Includes a literature search, method and data sources sections
5. LIST OF REFERENCES/SOURCES (5%):  Identifies the key documents.  APA style is used
6. TITLE (5%): Is clear and communicates no more and no less than the content given in the proposal

• lowest cost route economy airfare, to and from India
• accommodation, including bed and breakfast, for the duration of the conference (Organisers will provide 3 lunches and 1 dinner from 5-7 September 2013, but not all meals are covered)

• Call for Abstracts published: 15 January 2013
• Abstracts due:  15 February 2013
• Notification of acceptance of abstract: 01 March 2013
• Submission of papers for review: 07 May 2013
• Notification of selected paper presenters:  03 June 2013
• Final submission of revised papers/policy briefs: 03 July 2013

• Officers of government/regulatory agencies
• Entry/mid level officers of private companies in the communication industries
• Masters/PhD students in Economics, Public policy, Law, Communications and Journalism
• Entry/mid level officers in NGOs/INGOs.
• Researchers from think tanks
• Journalists interested in regulation and public policy, with an emphasis on communication

• Alison Gillwald, PhD (Research ICT Africa, South Africa)
• Aslam Hayat (Pacific ICT Regulatory Resource Center, Fiji)
• Ashok Jhunjhunwala, PhD (Indian Institute of Technology, Madras)
• Christoph Stork, PhD (RIA, South Africa)
• Emmanuel Lallana, PhD (IdeaCorp, Philippines)
• Ernesto Flores-Roux, PhD (Telefonica, Mexico)
• Helani Galpaya (LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka)
• Judith Mariscal, PhD (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico)
• Milagros Rivera, PhD (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
• Pirongrong Ramasoota, PhD (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand)
• Rohan Samarajiva, PhD (LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka)
• Roxana Barrantes, PhD (Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, Peru)
• Sujata Gamage, PhD (LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka)
• Supriya Singh, PhD, (RMIT, Australia)
• Yuli Liu, PhD (National Chengchi University, Taiwan ROC)
• William Melody, PhD (LIRNE.net, Denmark)

• a one-page curriculum vitae 
• a one-page write-up outlining why you wish to become an African- based expert capable of contributing to ICT-related policy and regulatory reform in the region
• The document should be named: CPRafrica2013_YoungScholar_YourLastName

• Content of application
• Evidence of interest in, and commitment to, policy-relevant research for the Asia Pacific/Africa
• Quality of writing
• Gender and country representation
• The selection committee may contact your supervisor or mentor before making the final selections.

• Provide an one-page research proposal
• Participate in all tutorial sessions
• Participate in the entire CPRsouth8/CPRafrica2013 conference

• lowest cost route economy airfare, to and from India
• shared accommodation, including bed and breakfast, for the duration of the conference (Organisers will provide 3 lunches and 1 dinner from 3-7 September 2013, but not all meals are covered)

• Deadline for applications: 02 June 2013

 

ICTD2013 - Call for Papers and Notes
Sixth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD2013) Cape Town, South Africa

Conference dates: December 7-10, 2013
Paper submission deadline: May 1, 2013 (11:59pm UTC)
Conference website: http://www.ictd2013.info
Contact us at: program@ictd2013.info
Follow or visit at: Twitter @ICTD2013
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ICTD2013

Note - new for 2013, there will be two kinds of manuscripts accepted into the ICTD program track: Full Papers and Notes.

Conference and Program Overview

Held in cooperation with ACM SIGCHI and ACM SIGCAS, ICTD2013 will provide an international forum for scholarly researchers exploring the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in social, political, and economic development.
Hosted by the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa, ICTD2013 is the sixth of an ongoing series of conferences occurring every one-and-a-half years; previous conferences have taken place in: Berkeley, CA (USA) ICTD 2006; Bangalore (India) ICTD 2007; Doha (Qatar) ICTD 2009; London (United Kingdom) ICTD 2010, and Atlanta, GA (USA) ICTD 2012.
Over decades, as radio and television have been joined by computers, the internet, and mobile devices, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become more pervasive, more accessible, and more relevant in the lives of people around the world. Virtually no sphere of human activity remains apart from ICTs, from markets to health care, education to governance, family life to artistic expression. Diverse groups across the world interact with, are affected by, and can shape the design of these technologies. The ICTD conference is a place to understand these interactions, and to examine, critique, and refine the persistent, pervasive hope that ICTs can be enlisted by individuals and communities in the service of human development. There are multidisciplinary challenges associated with the engineering, application and adoption of ICTs in developing regions and/or for development, with implications for design, policy, and practice.
For the purposes of this conference, the term "ICT" comprises electronic technologies for information processing and communication, as well as systems, interventions, and platforms that are built on such technologies. "Development" includes, but is not restricted to, poverty alleviation, education, agriculture, healthcare, general communication, gender equality, governance, infrastructure, environment and sustainable livelihoods. The conference program will reflect the multidisciplinary nature of ICTD research, with anticipated contributions from fields including anthropology, computer science, communication, design, economics, electrical engineering, geography, human-computer interaction, information science, information systems, political science, public health, and sociology.
In addition to inviting the Full Papers and Notes detailed here, the conference will offer a variety of opportunities for participation, including open sessions, pre-workshops, and demos. Check our website for further calls.

Download the Call for Papers and the Call for Notes

CPRafrica 2012 /CPRsouth7 2012
Connecting Africa & Asia: ICT Policy research and practice for the Global South

The third CPRafrica will take place from 5  - 7 September 2012 together with CPRsouth in Mauritius.
Download the Conference programme.

Introduction
Communication Policy Research Africa (CPRafrica) encourages intellectual endeavour and research in the area of ICT policy and regulation in Africa through the creation of a forum in which African academics and researchers can engage on and profile their research and contribute to global debates from an African perspective. The overall objective is to nurture policy intellectuals capable of informed and effective intervention in ICT policy and regulatory processes in specific country contexts.  This is an initiative of Research ICT Africa and draws on similar initiative by LIRNEasia – CPRsouth.  For the first time in 2012 these two partners will hold their conferences jointly in Mauritius. There is no more appropriate setting for this conference. Mauritius, itself an amalgam of Africa and Asia, is one of the most dynamic ICT markets on the African continent.
The conference will again provide a forum for senior, junior and mid-career change scholars to meet face-to-face and exchange ideas, network and improve the quality of their scholarly work for publication. The long-term objective is to foster the next generation of active scholars and local experts capable of contributing to good ICT policy and regulation in their regions.
The structure of the conference will offer researchers the opportunity to discuss their research on ICT regulation and policy in Africa, Asia and the South more generally, with a policy-oriented, international panel of senior academic referees and their peers from the regions.
 
Participants
The conference is designed to accommodate 35  papers presenters over the course of two and a half days, and the audience will be made up of 50 scholars involved in the field of ICT policy and regulation, broadly defined, including 20 Young Scholars from both regions.

Call for Abstracts
Abstracts for papers on ICT policy and regulation research carried out in Africa or relevant to Africa may be submitted for review and acceptance. Abstracts are due on 30 January 2012.
The list below provides some guidance to the subject matter of the conference but is not exhaustive.
• Convergence and broadband
• Telecom/broadcasting policy
• Extension of access and services – m- and e-gov, social networking, mobile money
• Data and methods for research on ICTs
• Governance of ICT and ICT for governance
• Intellectual property rights
• Internet governance
• ICT markets and competition
• National and regional innovation systems
• Indicators and evidence
• Regulation: Spectrum allocation, interconnection, licensing
• Policy: institutional arrangements, market structure, infrastructure extension
• Market innovation, competition and disruption
• Telecom operator strategies in emerging economies
• Content, rights and regulation

The actual program will depend on the papers received. The organisers reserve the right to combine topics and to not offer sessions for which sufficient high-quality submissions are not received.

Submission Guidelines
Abstracts should be submitted to info info@researchICTafrica.net by or before 30 January 2012 and must contain the following:
• the title of the paper
• your name and contact information,
• an abstract of the paper (no more than 1500 words)
• a curriculum vitae of no more than a page.
• The document must be named CPRafrica_Abstract&Bio_YourLastName.

Notification of acceptance of the proposed paper on the basis of the abstract will be e-mailed on or before 15 February 2012. Authors must submit their papers for review by 15 May 2012. No papers will be accepted after this date. The conference organisers reserve the right to reject the paper if it does not conform to the abstract or accepted academic standards.They will receive the reviewer’s comments by 30 May 2012, and will be required to complete any revisions for acceptance by 30 June 2012 for confirmation of acceptance by 30 July 2012.

Review Criteria
Abstracts will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

- Clarity of the thesis or the research finding
- Policy and regulatory relevance
- Novelty, significance, and importance to the CPRafrica community
- Adequacy of methods and analysis
- Quality of writing
 
Please note: Only the authors whose final papers that are delivered by the 30 June 2012 deadline AND who meet the quality standard will be allowed to present their papers at the conference and have their travel funded. Others may attend the event at their own expense or if they have applied for and satisfied the criteria for selection as Young Scholars.

Funding
Selected presenters will be provided with least-cost travel to and from Mauritius, accommodation and a per diem for the duration of the conference. All incidental costs will have to be borne by the participants.  Those who are able to receive institutional support to attend are requested to do so, to enable others who do not to be able to attend.

Young Scholars Tutorials 2012
Young Scholars Seminar

3-4 September 2012 - Mauritius

Thirty Young Scholars from Africa and Asia have been selected to participate in the conference without having to fulfill the paper acceptance qualifications and  to attend an ICT policy research seminar prior to the conference to allow them to participate more effectively.

Download the Young Scholar programmeYoung Scholar programme.

Application Guidelines
Applications should be submitted to info [at] researchICTafrica [dot] net  by or before 30 January 2012 and must contain the following:
• a one-page curriculum vitae that includes your contact information and the name and contact information of current supervisor or mentor, and
• a one-page write-up outlining why you wish to be an African or Asian based expert capable of contributing to ICT policy and regulatory reform in the region.

The document should be named CPRafrica2012_YoungScholar_YourLastName.
Notification of acceptance will be e-mailed on or before  30 February 2012 with instructions on travel arrangements.

Review Criteria
Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
• Content of application
• Evidence of interest in policy-relevant research for the Africa or Asia
• Quality of writing
• Gender and country representation
 
Please provide the contact details of your supervisor or mentor as the selection committee may contact them before making the final selections.

Funding
Selected applicants will be provided with least-cost travel to and from Mauritius, twin-sharing accommodation and meals for the nights of the conference only. All incidental costs will have to borne by the participants. Costs are being tightly controlled to accommodate as many participants as possible.

Key dates
Applications due:    30 January 2012
Notification of acceptance to Young Scholars:    30 February 2012

See www.researchICTafrica.net for updates

Broadband as a platform for Video in Africa
The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information is pleased to announce that its first conference on the topic of broadband as a platform for Video in Africa will take place May 22nd & 23rd in Lusaka, Zambia. 
For further information about the Conference, click here.

AMMREC2012 Conference
AMMREC2012 Conference
April 2 and 3, 2012
Nairobi, Kenya

Mobile money is an emerging area of research, AMMREC expects to build a Conference Community that will ensure an exciting and high quality networking environment, providing an opportunity for scholars and practitioners to share knowledge and experience with potential research or practitioner partners. By mobile money we include mobile money transfer, mobile banking, agency banking, other financial services through a mobile platform.

For further information about the conference, click here.  

Spectrum Valuation Masterclass with Prof Martin Cave
This one-day masterclass on spectrum valuation was convened by Prof Alison Gillwald and was part of a new component of the Graduate School of Business programme in Management of Infrastructure Reform and Regulation (MIR).  

It was offered in collaboration with Research ICT Africa and designed to enhance the strategic thinking of senior decision-makers in the information communication technology sector in developing countries and emerging economies.

The aim of the programme was to address the many challenges in spectrum management posed by the current stage of telecom reform to governments, regulatory agencies, operators, and other stakeholders.

Delegate profile
Decision-makers in telecommunications and related sectors in Africa including government; regulatory agencies; operators; ICT journalists and ICT specialists within unions, consumer groups and NGOs active in the sector.

Programme benefits:
• Delegates gains a deeper understanding of the spectrum valuation so that they can navigate its complexities.
• They considers the changing value of spectrum in the dynamic ICT market and the responses in different jurisdictions to this.
• They considers the merits of different approaches to valuation of spectrum, particularly in countries with resource constraints.
• With wireless access to Internet assuming a more prominent position in economies and societies, civil society and media can learn how to equip themselves to participate in its governance and to secure commons.
• The opportunity to reflect on the challenges and approaches to valuing in the company of peers and away from the daily demands of the office environment is essential.


Download the information sheet for further details.
Download the Programme.

The International Institute of Communications Annual Conference
The International Institute of Communications is a leading independent policy forum focused primarily on telecommunications, media and digital media policy and regulation, and their impact on business and society. Its 42nd Annual Conference, ‘Trends in Global Communications: Making digital society a universal reality’ on 3-4 October in Sandton, Johannesburg, was designed to meet the policy and strategic needs of senior industry executives, regulators and public policymakers in the telecommunications and media industries and has a strong African focus.  

Click here for the full two-day programme.

G I G A N E T - Sixth Annual Symposium
UNON complex, Nairobi, Kenya, Room 4 September 26, 2011

The Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) held its Sixth Annual Symposium on 26 September 2011, one day before the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Since 2006, GigaNet has organized an Annual Symposium to showcase research about Internet Governance, focusing on an interdisciplinary approach. Prior successful symposia took place in Greece (2006), Brazil (2007), India (2008), Egypt (2009) and Lithuania (2010). In 2011, the Internet Governance Forum has entered its second phase, after having reached the end of its first 5-years mandate. The 2011 event provided room to discuss the challenges encountered and results achieved during the first five years of IGF. As in previous years the GigaNet Symposium further discussed current and future questions of Global Internet Governance.

GigaNet is a scholarly community that promotes the development of Internet Governance as a recognized, interdisciplinary field of study and facilitates informed dialogue on policy issues and related matters between scholars and governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society. http://giga-net.org/

The symposium was organized in co-operation with Research ICT Africa (RIA). RIA is a network of researchers in 20 African countries conducting research on ICT policy and regulation and facilitating evidence-based and informed policy making for improved access, use and application of ICT for social development and economic growth. 

Preliminary program

Please check http://giga-net.org/page/2011-annual-symposium for program updates

9.00-9.15: Introduction & Welcome

9.15-11.00 Panel 1: Internet Governance Processes and Institutions
• Jeremy Malcolm (Consumers International): Arresting the decline of multi-stakeholderism in Internet governance
• Shawn Gunnarson (Kirton & McConkie): Theorizing fact-based policy development at ICANN
• Gitte Stald (IT University of Copenhagen): EU Kids online. Informing evidence-based policy for children’s online opportunities and risks

11.00-11.15: Coffee

11.15-12.15: Roundtable on the state of Internet Governance Research and Practice in Africa
Participants to be confirmed later.

12.15-13.45: Lunch

13.45-15.15: Panel 2: Theories of Internet Governance

• Biel Perez (Open University of Catalonia): Constitutionalism, global administrative law and the global internet governance
• Caroline Agguerre (Universidad de San Andres): Internet communities in Argentina and Brazil. Origins, networks and institutional development
• John Gathegi (University of South Florida): Internet anonymity, reputation and freedom of speech. The US legal landscape.

15.15-15.30: Coffee

15.30- 17.00: Panel 3: Internet Rights and Repression
• Matthias C. Ketteman (University of Graz): The legality of internet blackouts in times of crisis. An assessment at the intersection of human rights law, humanitarian law and internet governance principles
• Sanja Kelly & Sarah Cook (Freedom House): New technologies, Innovative repression. Growing threats to Internet freedom
• Robert Bodle (College of Mount St. Joseph): Upholding online anonymity in Internet governance. Affordances, ethical frameworks, and regulatory practices

17.15-18.15: Roundtable on the state of Internet Rights
Roundtable jointly organized by GigaNet and APC. Participants to be confirmed later.

GigaNet 2011 Program Committee

• Leo Van Audenhove – PC Chair, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• Roy Balleste – St. Thomas University, Miami, USA
• William Drake - University of Zurich, Switzerland
• Dmitry Epstein – Cornell University, USA
• Marianne Franklin – Goldsmiths University London, UK
• Raquel Gatto – Catholic University of São Paulo, Brazil
• Alison Gillwald – Executive Director Research ICT Africa
• Nanette Levinson – American University, USA
• Milton Mueller – Syracuse University, USA
• Rolf H. Weber – University of Zurich, Switzerland

Contact

If you have any question related to the symposium, please e-mail the Program Committee Chair: leo.van.audenhove@vub.ac.be  

Connectivity and Convergence 2011: Alternative Regulatory Strategies for Telecommunications

The Executive Course "Connectivity and Convergence 2011: Alternative Regulatory Strategies for Telecommunications" has been postponed. For further information, please contact info [at] researchictafrica [dot] net

Programme Summary

Successfully offered through the UCT GSB in association with Research ICT Africa and LIRNE.net, this programme is designed to enhance the strategic thinking of a select group of senior decision-makers in telecom and related sectors in developing countries and emerging economies. The aim of the programme is to address the many challenges posed by the current stage of telecom and ICT reform to governments, regulatory agencies, operators and other stakeholders.  The certainties of yesterday are no more: traditional approaches to the licensing of networks and services is being challenged by converging technologies services and innovative business models; individual assignments of frequencies are being questioned in the light of new standards such as Wi-Fi and WiMax; the distinctions between wired and wireless are being blurred; classic price regulation is becoming less central to the missions of regulatory agencies; new pro-poor business strategies are challenging conventional universal service models; and all industry players are being challenged to address content issues at various levels.

Delegate profiles

Decision-makers in telecommunications and related sectors in Africa including government; regulatory agencies; operators; unions, ICT journalists, consumer groups and NGOs active in the sector.

Programme Benefits

• Delegates will learn how to respond more effectively to the growing demands on the regulatory process and agencies, with the same resources
• Policy makers will gain the knowledge of developments within the sector from current and relevant research to think in alternative ways about creating an enabling environment for development and growth
• Regulators will be provided with alternative approaches to regulation, particularly in developing countries with resource constraints, to facilitate more effective regulation.
• Operators will gain a deeper understanding of the regulatory process so that they can navigate its complexities
• With telecom assuming a more prominent position in economies and societies, civil society and media can learn how to equip themselves to participate in its governance
• Knowledge on how to deal with these new challenges is vital
• The opportunity to reflect on these issues in the company of peers and away from the daily demands of the office environment is essential.
• As part of the University of Cape Town's Infrastructure Management Programme, the course will be offered by LIRNE.net, a global collaboration of applied research and training entities in the South in collaboration with prestigious institutions and emminent professional  in the North, specialising in ICT policy and regulation, led by Research ICT Africa

Dates: 4 – 8 April 2011 (Applications close 1 March)
Venue: Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa  
Tuition fees: R 16 800

Contact: Alexandra Allem
Email: aallem@researchictafrica.net 
Tel: +27 21 447 6332 
www.researchictafrica.net

Training and Events CPRsouth 8 / CPRafrica 2013 - Mysore, India Innovation & Entrepreneurship in ICT: Changing Asia / Africa   CPRsouth8/ CPRafrica 2013 provides a forum for policy-engaged scholars to meet face-to-face to exchange ideas, network and improve the quality of their scholarly work. It foste...
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The International Institute of Communications Annual Conference The International Institute of Communications is a leading independent policy forum focused primarily on telecommunications, media and digital media policy and regulation, and their impact on business and society. Its 42nd Annual Conference, ‘T...
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Connectivity and Convergence 2011: Alternative Regulatory Strategies for Telecommunications The Executive Course "Connectivity and Convergence 2011: Alternative Regulatory Strategies for Telecommunications" has been postponed. For further information, please contact info [at] researchictafrica [dot] net Programme Summary...
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Making Mobile Broadband Accessible for All Research ICT Africa and the Management Infrastructure Reform and Regulation Programme at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, in partnership with Vodacom convened a public seminar on  Making Mobile Broadband Access Accessib...
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Young Scholars Tutorials 2011 Fifteen Young Scholars from Africa were selected to participate in the conference. Application Guidelines Applications should be submitted to aallem@researchICTafrica.net by or before 19 November 2010 and must contain the following: a one-page...
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