Session 118: Offline Internet - A Continuum of Connectivity

"While conventional approaches divide the have and have-nots of internet access, “offline internet” suggests a gray area-a continuum of connectivity, where innovative hardware and software solutions, localized content, digital skills, and supportive policies enable meaningful access to a wide array of digital content without the need for permanent internet connectivity." - Library Journal
“There are many reasons why people are unable to access the internet, and the solution is not as simple as high-speed broadband or Starlink,” said Ann Okerson, director of the Offline Internet Consortium (OLI)
How can this work? How can there be digital communications sans internet? Everyone should have a way to participate in the global digital society. Is this an answer for over 2 billion people still unconnected? Or as backup for any of us who may lose connections from extended outages. Join us to hear about this innovative response to real world connectivity gaps!
SPEAKERS
Ann Okerson, Session Moderator, OLI Convener
Stéphane Coillet-Matillon, CEO, Kiwix
Stephane has lived, worked and studied on four continents and is reasonably fluent in five languages. Drawing on an unusual graduate background in Science (McGill University) and Politics (University of Geneva), he worked for a Fortune500 company as a Corporate Affairs professional before moving on to lead the Swiss Chapter of the Wikimedia Movement. He is old enough to remember when Netscape was the leading browser and Yahoo! the go-to search engine. Despite decades of progress, even today only the richest half of the world's population has reliable internet access. This led him to partner with Emmanuel Engelhart to grow Kiwix, a neat software making internet content accessible to people without permanent connectivity.
Stephane is a TEDx speaker and apparently one of the « 100 people who made Switzerland » in 2022, which says a lot considering he is neither into banking, pharma or chocolate.
KIWIX URL: www.kiwix.org
Carlos Augusto Gonzalez Penilla, CEO, Makaia
Carlos is a graduate in business administration, with 22 years of experience in social and economic development and territorial competitiveness. In the social sector his experience has been focused in bringing new opportunities to vulnerable communities using technology and helping other CSO to embrace digital transformation.
Makaia is an organization that strengthens capacities for social development through technology, innovation, and international cooperation. At Makaia we don´t have a specific initiative using OLI methodologies in libraries, instead of that we use OLI methodologies (contents, devices and others) in developing some of our programs implemented in rural areas.
These are some rural programs in which Makaia uses OLI methodologies:
Innovation Labs - Makaia
Briceño coffee value chain connected with the world - Makaia
Tierra Colombia: Technology Transformation - Makaia
MAKAIA URL: makaia.org/en/...
Mike Dawson, CEO, Ustad Mobile
Mike is CEO and co-founder of Ustad Mobile; a start-up Mobilizing Education for all using low cost open source software to improve school monitoring and deliver content to offline mobile devices (from low end feature phones to smartphones and PCs).
USTAD Mobile URL: www.ustadmobile.com