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TYPES OF TELECENTERS
Telecenters can come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from unmanned information kiosks to large multi-room community telecenters that offer several IT-enabled activities. The majority of those listed in the Clearinghouse can be classified under three broad categories: community telecenters, multipurpose community telecenters (MCTs), and mobile telecenters.

Community Telecenters
Community telecenters use ICTs to support a variety of different activities central to community life. Their purpose it to provide information-based services that lead to sustainable developmental results within the communities they serve. The specific activities that are offered depends on the organization operating the telecenter, as well as the local demand for certain specific services. In the search for sustainability, community telecenters benefit from their ability to add new services as the needs of the community change.

One of the early models is Infocentros, a government funded, NGO-managed initiative that set out to deploy a network of "Infocentros" distributed throughout El Salvador. Each Infocentro contains a network of 20 computers and focuses on education and training, e-commerce, and the development of content and applications that improve the quality of life for Salvadorians. Similar Latin American projects include Infoplazas in Panama, and LINCOS in both Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Community empowerment is a central goal to many telecenter projects. The Worldview Foundation's sm@sy initiative is designed to enhance the capacity of the user to be able to use ICT applications for accessing knowledge and education, communication, and making business transactions. On the outskirts of Bogotá, Colnodo is deploying a network of Neighborhood Information Units to build a community-oriented information network, allowing residents to establish contact with each other, with other communities in Bogotá, and with the rest of the world. A similar initiative, Sampa.org, has already developed a network of ten telecenters in the slums around São Paulo that aim to broaden citizens' rights and help them fight social exclusions. Internet Learning Centers in Laos, a project by the Jhai Foundation, won the Stockholm Challenge Award in 2001 for its use of 21st century IT tools to help rural Laotians maintain their traditional culture. Citizen Information Service Centers in Mongolia, Africare's Digital Villages in South Africa and Asia Foundation's Information Centers in Cambodia are also all good examples of projects that empower communities through the introduction of appropriate ICT-enabled applications.

Multipurpose Community Telecenters
Many of the more robust community telecenters are more formally known as Multipurpose Community Telecenters (MCTs). These typically offer a wide range of services and support, including non-ICT services, in order to respond the most essential needs of the community while helping to ensure their own financial viability. For example, the first solar-powered center in Ghana, the Asante Akim MCT, is being used to support distance education, literacy campaigns, basic and non-formal education, telemedicine, community health screening, cultural resource enhancement, employment training for the youth in the district, and electronic commerce. Greenstar has also built solar-powered MCTs in Jamaica, India, Palestine, and Ghana. Other MCTs are located in Nakaseke, Buwama and Nabweru in Uganda, Brownsberg in Suriname, Gaseleka and Lubisi in South Africa, Jakar in Bhutan, Malanville in Benin, Namaacha and Manhica in Mozambique, Dac Lac and Ha Bac in Vietnam, and Rajkot in India.

Mobile Telecenters
In many areas where permanently establishing an Internet node is not feasible at their current stage of development, access to information technology is being provided by mobile telecenters. In Andhra Pradesh, Computers On Wheels is bringing the benefits of the Internet to rural and illiterate villagers who are living off the grid. Through the project, a trained "Information Retailer" armed with a laptop visits rural areas on a motorcycle to market Internet services to villagers. The Mobile Internet Unit (MIU) in Malaysia is designed to facilitate basic ICT literacy training programs for school communities in rural and urban non-mainstream schools. The bus is equipped with 20 networked computers and a full range of audio and video equipment. Another, the SchoolNet Computer Training Bus, provides computer training for school students from severely underprivileged backgrounds at government schools in Karnataka. The IT Coach Project in Mauritius, the Mobile Telecenter To-Go in Ghana, and World Links Big Blue project are similar examples.

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