Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Bastos, Maria-Ines
Author-Workplace-Name: United Nations University, Institute for New Technologies
Title: The World Market for Telematics Applications to Education: Challenges and Opportunities for Industrialized and Developing Countries
Abstract: This paper discusses the prospects for industrialized and developing countries in
	 the international market of telematics applications to education. The discussion
	 evolves around three issues. One is the relationship between telecommunication
	 infrastructure and wider telematics applications. Telecommunication requirements of
	 such applications to education would add to the reasons for infrastructure
	 upgrading, which have international trade effects. The second issue is the
	 currently narrow choice customers have in the international market where suppliers
	 are concentrated in the USA and Canada and products are dominantly in the English
	 language. Demands for diversification of suppliers and of offer in various
	 languages will created opportunities for content producers in developing countries
	 and push for stronger international trade. Finally, the third issue is the risk
	 this new area of trade may represent for educational and training policy decisions
	 in developing countries. Scarce resources may be diverted from cheaper and more
	 efficient ways of addressing the educational agenda to more expensive and not
	 necessary the most adequate solutions. A careful assessment of educational and
	 training needs and new forms of collaboration have to be created for this new area
	 of trade to be beneficial to industrialized and developing countries.
Keywords: Telecommunications, Distance study, International market
Series: Discussion Paper
Creation-Date: 1997
Number: 05
File-URL: http://www.intech.unu.edu/publications/discussion-papers/9705.pdf
File-Format:application/pdf
File-Size:  93.2 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unuint:199705