Lorenzo Dalvit et al.
In this paper we discuss TeleWeaver, a middleware platform for marginalised communities. TeleWeaver brings efficiency to software production in the ICT4D space and an innovative business model, which monetizes the interest of various parties( governmental and non‐governmental) to access poor communities, to provide services, to obtain information or to sell products. TeleWeaver presents itself to the end users as a set of applications.
We look at TeleWeaver from different points of view, highlighting its innovation as a solution, as software and as a product. As a solution, it seeks to benefit a diverse range of stakeholders which make up its ecosystem. Notably, it is implemented as part of a business model that seeks to reduce inequalities and promote a fair sharing of costs and revenues. As a piece of software, TeleWeaver implements a Service Oriented Architecture( SOA). This type of architecture, which is common within software development, is relatively novel in ICT4D. As a product, TeleWeaver is released under a dual licence. The use of a reciprocal( as opposed to permissive) open‐source licence protects the interests of the ecosystem of which TeleWeaver is part by encouraging contribution by developers, use by marginalized communities and purchase by government bodies or corporations.
2. TeleWeaver as a solution
TeleWeaver offers a comprehensive solution to the telecommunication needs of marginalised areas in Africa. Developing ICT infrastructure and providing services to marginalised areas is recognised as a priority by the South African Government( African National Congress 2009). In the South African context, marginalised communities can be defined as living in rural or peri‐urban areas characterised by endemic poverty, poor infrastructure and lack of services( Cross 2001). TeleWeaver responds to challenges such as cultural difference, limited infrastructure and lack of economic resources with a holistic solution, involving a wide range of stakeholders.
TeleWeaver is an integral component of a complex ecosystem, shown in Figure 1. The platform is developed by Reed House Systems( RHS). The establishment of RHS was part of a two‐year project called E‐Services and Telecommunication Infrastructure for Marginalised Areas( ESTIMA).
Figure 1: Ecosystem supporting TeleWeaver( Gumbo 2012)
The project was initiated by a consortium including two academic institutions, Rhodes University( RU) and the University of Fort Hare( UFH), together with a local business based in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. RU is considered a historically‘ white’ institution as only white students were allowed to attend under the former apartheid government. In contrast, UFH is considered a historically‘ black’( and therefore previously disadvantaged) institution. TeleWeaver draws on the ten‐year experience in software development of the Centres of Excellence( CoE) hosted in the Computer Science Departments of these two universities. This type of collaboration, still relatively new in South Africa, ensures a combination of technical skills and understanding of marginalised contexts.
The link to academia allows tapping into the expertise of other departments such as Anthropology, Sociology, Media Studies, Communication, Education and African Languages according to various aspects. The holistic solution offered by TeleWeaver includes an analysis of the social, cultural and economic profile of the prospective deployment community, the transfer of relevant skills, the development and testing of appropriate services based on a contextualised needs analysis, an ongoing evaluation of impact and appropriation and customisations such as branding and localisation. Various aspects of the solution are
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