Practical Insights on Hardware for ICT4D Projects

ICT4D Project Hardware Challenges

4 ICT4D Project Hardware Challenges

ICT4D projects face several hardware challenges that can hinder program effectiveness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). ICT4D project hardware challenges include:

1. Electricity Sources

In many developing regions, power supply is erratic, making the presence of low power hardware with long battery life crucial. Power swings, dips, blackouts, and brownouts can disrupt the operation of ICT devices, limiting their usefulness.

2. Infrastructure Cost

Striking a balance between the lowest cost and reliable, functional technology is essential. High costs can make ICT hardware inaccessible to the people who need it most, while low-cost but unreliable or limited-functionality devices can fail to meet users’ needs[1].

3. Environmental Challenges

ICT hardware needs to be designed with durability in mind, including resistance to water, humidity, dust, dirt, and extreme heat. Some screens are difficult to read in direct sunlight, so specific types of screens are needed. The harsh environmental conditions in many developing regions can cause devices to fail if they are not designed to withstand these conditions.

4. Internet Connectivity

Reliable and affordable access to electricity, internet, and mobile networks is often scarce or unreliable in rural or remote areas where ICT4D projects are most needed. This can limit the reach and functionality of ICT4D solutions and increase their operational costs.

Examples of ICT4D Hardware Projects

9 Lessons Learned in Rolling Out Dimagi’s Mobile Device Management Pilot

9 Lessons Learned in Rolling Out Dimagi’s Mobile Device Management Pilot

Published on: Nov 01 2018 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 9 Lessons Learned in Rolling Out Dimagi’s Mobile Device Management Pilot
Enumerators, who are people like you and I, like to download Candy Crush, Facebook, YouTube videos, mobile screen savers, to their mobile phones, and use up significant...
5 Challenges to Scaling Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Global Health

5 Challenges to Scaling Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Global Health

Published on: Oct 31 2018 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on 5 Challenges to Scaling Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Global Health
While unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) have a dynamic feature set and capabilities that make them a potential game changer in global development and humanitarian...
Beware the Mobile Phone Hardware Quality Divide for Rural African Women

Beware the Mobile Phone Hardware Quality Divide for Rural African Women

Published on: Sep 20 2018 by Wayan Vota - 12 Comments
We all can celebrate the massive adoption of mobile phones across the African continent, and be astonished at the rapid uptake of smartphones in countries like...
USAID Managers Guide to Microcomputers in Development

USAID Managers Guide to Microcomputers in Development

Published on: Sep 03 2018 by Wayan Vota - 4 Comments
Today we continue our ICT4D flashback with the 1983 USAID Managers Guide to Microcomputers in Development, which contains the first use of the phrase “artificial...
Which Mobile Phones Work Best for Disaster Responders and Humanitarian Aid Field Teams?

Which Mobile Phones Work Best for Disaster Responders and Humanitarian Aid Field Teams?

Published on: Mar 05 2018 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
During my time working with a well-known Mobile Industry Development group, one request which would turn up on a regular basis in my in-box was for recommendations...
The Feature Phone is Not Yet Dead in Africa – Your Weekend Long Reads

The Feature Phone is Not Yet Dead in Africa – Your Weekend Long Reads

Published on: Feb 24 2018 by Steve Vosloo - 1 Comment
Quartz Africa reports that last year feature phones won market share from smartphones in Africa. The market share of smartphones fell to 39% in 2017 (from 45%),...
Can Mobile Device Management Improve the Data Collection Processes?

Can Mobile Device Management Improve the Data Collection Processes?

Published on: Feb 19 2018 by Guest Writer - 10 Comments
When doing large scale monitoring, evaluation and research, organizations often deploy hundreds of frontline workers with hundreds of devices for mobile data collection. Naturally,...
4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability

4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability

Published on: Feb 09 2017 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability
I am often called in to help when a technology project has gone awry. For example, once a partner organization gifted a network-attached storage server (NAS) to...
Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Published on: Jan 18 2017 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases
Guess what kids, there is a Hardware Santa Claus! Nethope has just announced its 2017 Device Challenge – $5 million dollars in cash grants for technology...
Stop Giving Away Smartphones!

Stop Giving Away Smartphones!

Published on: Sep 15 2016 by Wayan Vota - 11 Comments
Pretty much every day, I hear the same failure refrain repeated again and again, “We gave away 50-100 smartphones for our mobile project.” Why is this...