Welcome to GoLive CyberStudio 3

We had very interesting and excellent presentations of the world most advanced digital high definition TV satellite education systems (e.g., MINCS-UH and SCS of Japan) for long range delivery system; broadband Internet microwave networks (e.g., Shinshu University Network of Japan and SkyBridge of Hawaii) for mid-range delivery system; spread-spectrum wireless broadband Internet for short-range delivery system. All of them are the so-called “fixed wireless” Internet at 1.5 to 45 Mbps.

We also had a privilege of listening very attractive presentation of “mobile wireless” broadband Internet for micro-range delivery system by Nokia Mobil Phones group. They are now spearheading to develop a mobil video phone which will communicate with broadband Internet at 34 Mbps in the year 2004!!

In a sense, we covered all ranges of cutting-edge, wireless delivery systems. We think that our projects of establishing global broadband wireless Internet networks will well complement with Nokia’s approach to have mutual benefits each other.

We also had very intensive brainstorming sessions to identify pilot projects in major regions of the Pacific/Asia, North America, Central America, South America, Africa and Europe. See PART II of this report. We divided into three working groups attempting to give written voice to the voids and opportunities in each of these regions of the world. Our working sessions were documented and recapped in the Friday closings.

All of us are the so-called “like-minded” people with the global vision for the globalization and borderless society in the 21st century so that they got acquainted each other very well and quickly. Without any hesitation, they accepted the word “THINK BIG” by Marco Antonio R. Dias (former Director of Higher Education Division of UNESCO and one of keynote speakers). We think that this is same as “think globally” embracing multi culture as K. S. Sitaram mentioned during his dinner speech.

Truly this conference has continued without interruption to this present moment, and the partnering and collaborations which were there before but not fully effective are now made powerful by the common focus which has resulted from our time together, and which are visible at the many web-site postings which have been circulated since. Our chances of realizing our separate dreams have been magnified by this new formality in working together within the tight focus of well defined opportunities in each of the regions of the world that were given voice during the Tampere congress. In a sense, we successfully accomplished the major objective of our event as setting the stage for our forthcoming joint collaborative projects in global scale.

5. Creation of Global University System (GUS)

The Global University project has been a divisional activity of our GLOSAS/USA. This project will be spun-off to create an independent organization, the Global University System, which will be the headquarters to coordinate the above-mentioned pilot projects and all planned regional Global Universities.

Tapio Varis has accepted to be the Acting President to incorporate it in Finland.
Marco Antonio R. Dias also accepted to be the Vice President for Administration.
Takeshi Utsumi will be its President Emeritus and the Vice President for Technology and Coordination.

Our project of creating Global University System for global distance learning with broadband Internet is to prepare the environment for our next generation to create their own new global culture which will foster mutual respect and equality, understanding of people and place, with a respect for diversity and differences in history and traditions, as David Johnson said during his keynote speech.

6. Lessons learned by this event:

The attendees were all like-minded people so that they easily and quickly absorbed the concept and need of a global project, particularly in education and healthcare. Many had not previously met, except over the Web, but they shared a common understanding of the directions we need to go and how to get there. They shared the same goals and ambitions, namely to bring distance education to the "Un" and "Under" served corridors of this planet, effectively, and at affordable costs. This event was a great gathering of minds clearly determined to reach the goals -- but with new opportunity to accelerate this pursuit by the formation of something larger than their separate efforts: The Global University System. This conference at Tampere was a catalyst and has the potential to magnify our separate efforts to get to the same place by helping us to work together.
They know that the globalization is the inevitable trend of the 21st century because they are now driven by enormously powerful human aspiration for higher standards of living and by enormously powerful technologies that are integrating us more and more closely every day. They also know that the benefits of the advanced information and communication technologies need to be affordable and accessible in developing countries. This will encourage the general trend towards democracy and transparency in government worldwide, and promote rising standards of living in those countries that have decided to play by the rules of the new global economic system.
The proposed global distance learning project requires collaboration of people from around the world. Although inexpensive and convenient communication means (e.g., email, fax, web, videoconferencing, etc.) among colleagues around the world are now available, face-to-face meeting with the colleagues is an absolute necessity to kickoff real action of the project, after extensive preparation of such a meeting with the currently available means of telecommunication. The conference provided the needed opportunity for such face-to-face communication.
Although a detailed survey and investigation is required for each locality, wireless broadband Internet is the most probable future delivery system for electronic distance education and telemedicine -- by satellite for long range, microwave for medium range and spread spectrum for short range, particularly in developing countries. This is also known as the "fixed wireless" approach.
A new trend the conference participants learned about in Tampere was that Nokia is now forging ahead with R&D to create a videophone which can access the Internet at 34 megabits per second by the year 2004. This is known as the "mobile wireless" approach for use by individuals over the so-called "last mile". This is an amazing future, since it can have HDTV, telephony, fax, voice mail, email, web access, videoconferencing, etc., i.e., almost every kind of telecommunication at that speed. Distance learning for anyone, anywhere, and anytime can be realized with it. The only question not discussed in the Nokia presentation was that of who will provide such broadband Internet backbone. The Nokia representatives indicated that they would be willing to work with the conference organizers toward the goal of establishing global wireless broadband Internet.
Deployment of wireless broadband Internet in global scale, training of facilitators, development of advanced courseware, administration of delivery systems, etc. require huge investments which can only be made with the support of multilateral agencies and the collaboration of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) agencies of major OECD countries. For this purpose, the conference worked on a proposal for a Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF) to finance the needed telecommunications capacity for education and health applications in developing countries. This proposal will be further developed at a meeting to be held at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington on 20 December 1999. At this meeting, the deligates from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) will also discuss the possible joint project of the US, Canadian and Japanese governments (and later European Union) to enhance USAID's Leland program and the establishment of the global broadband Internet.
While more than 200 universities in the US now have 45 Mbps Internet and more than 85 percent of elementary schools have 1.5 Mbps Internet, the Leland program of USAID provides only 128 Kbps Internet to two dozen African countries, and the international linkage of Ukraine is at only 1.5 Mbps. It is now the time to prepare the establishment of a global broadband Internet, especially among countries, across continents and oceans. This is the required investments for the needed broadband distance learning and healthcare.
There is thus a definite need for establishing the GSTF, or a kind of international analogy of the US subsidized "e-rate" for schools and libraries. The conditionality would be established by multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, ITU, UNESCO, and WHO to encourage a favorable policy environment in the countries having access to this low-cost or free bandwidth for education and health applications.