Investment in Educational Services Creates Opportunity for Operators

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, December 17 - The use of mobile technology in education will increase as access and
devices become more widely available to lower-income consumers and rural
areas, making educational services a major growth opportunity for operators.
However, there are some critical aspects to delivering successful information
and communication technologies (ICT) programs, according to a new report from
Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com).

Internet-Based Education Initiatives: More Funding Is Creating More
Opportunity highlights some important aspects in delivering successful and
long-term ICT educational programs. It starts by highlighting the importance
of taking a whole-system approach to an educational ICT initiative. This
16-page report then looks at the factors that help ensure the initiative is
viable and can provide lasting benefits, and highlight the role -
traditionally addressed by PCs and fixed-line technologies - that mobile
technology can play in education. Finally, it offers several case studies of
the use of ICT in education from around the world, indicating the diverse
ways in which ICTs are used in education. Download an excerpt
(www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR121709_ IN GL1.2) of this report.
Purchase this report online
(www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_gl_091209.htm?sc= PR121709_ INGL1.2)

Investments in ICT in education continue to be an important area of
development, particularly where private sector investment and households have
seen declines in income and spending, notes Jan ten Sythoff, author of the
report and analyst at Pyramid Research. Mobile technology will have an
increasingly important role to play in educational service, due to its
availability, affordability and ease of use. "Pyramid believes that to be
successful, ICT investments in education in developing regions need to be
tailored to local needs and designed for long-term financial viability," he
says, "and mobile technology should be increasingly integrated, given its
widespread availability and affordability."

"Successful educational ICT programs need to look at the larger picture,
including hardware, software, access, content, and training," Sythoff says.
"For example, the MTN Schools Connect project in Nigeria encompasses
hardware, access, and training and also includes the provision of
electricity, which is, of course, key for all ICT projects and is not always
available," he explains.

Coordination at several different levels provides the best results. "ICT
investments in education should not be looked at in isolation but also in
conjunction with other government policies, such as encouraging competition
in ICT markets to increase availability and decrease costs," says Sythoff.
"Mozambique is an example where a coordinated government policy has driven
Internet access rates over the past few years, and is currently enjoying the
benefits, including higher Internet usage, improvements in education levels
and lower poverty rates."

Internet-Based Education Initiatives: More Funding Is Creating More
Opportunity is part of Pyramid Research's Global Telecom Insider report
series. Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best
practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case
studies, providing you information you can leverage to make better business
decisions.

Download an excerpt of this report here
(www.pyr.com/downloads.htm?id=5&sc=PR121709_ IN GL1.2). This report is
priced at US$595 and can be purchased online here
(www.pyramidresearch.com/store/ins_gl_091209.htm?sc= PR121709_ INGL1.2)
or by contacting Amalia Vega at avega@pyr.com or telephone at +1-619-229-9940.

For more information about Pyramid Research's products and services,
please visit www.pyr.com or contact us at info@pyr.com.

About Pyramid Research

Pyramid Research (www.pyr.com) offers practical solutions to the complex
demands our clients face in the telecommunications, media and technology
industries. Our analysis is uniquely positioned at the intersection of
emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models, powered
by the bottom-up methodology of our market forecasts for over 100 countries -
a distinction that has remained unmatched for more than 25 years. As the
telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network, Pyramid
Research works with Heavy Reading, providing the communications industry's
most comprehensive market data, trusted research and insightful technology
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About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading
online media, research, and focused event company serving the US$3 trillion
worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for
technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the
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in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20
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focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives.
Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and
operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business
technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of
technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most
respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today,
more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in
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2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network,
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InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street &
Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including
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provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a
market capitalization of more than US$2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly
connections

About United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information
distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization
of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve
professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from
journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated
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    Press contact:
    Jennifer Baker
    +1-617-871-1910
    jbaker@pyr.com

Jennifer Baker, +1-617-871-1910, jbaker at pyr.com