Cost Of Internet Access Research Articles

Amid and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Internet costs for remote work by university lecturers in Tanzania—who does the cap fit?

The global COVID-19 pandemic has greatly dis­rupted education worldwide, including in Sub-Saharan Af­rica, which was caught off guard. Remote work has become a viable option for maintaining social distancing, even after the pandemic. However, there is limited evidence on who should bear the cost of internet access for remote work. This paper focuses on three research questions: how lecturers perceive remote work, how internet costs hinder remote working, and who should be responsible for covering the cost of internet access. Using a phenomenological approach, the study involved three key informants and sixteen lectur­ers from four public universities. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and analysed thematically. The results revealed that university lecturers view remote work as important for professional growth. However, the high cost of internet access deters remote working as lecturers struggle to afford data bundles for their work responsibili­ties. Also, it was found that employers should bear the costs of Internet for remote working because it enhances efficiency and job satisfaction. Uni­versities should also revise their policies to provide financial support for lecturers who work remotely, including setting a minimum internet cost per week for all scholars working remotely.

Impact of artificial intelligence on sustainable development in African countries

The African continent continues to be characterized by imbalances in economic development and infrastructure challenges, while the high cost of internet access, skills shortages and technical skills hinder the adoption of artificial intelligence. Large-scale corruption and bureaucracy pose major challenges. Addressing these challenges will enable the development of a quality AI ecosystem and utilize the latest technologies to create new opportunities for the government, businesses and the African population. The main objective of this study is to identify the role of artificial intelligence in the inclusive and sustainable economic growth of African countries, and justify the feasibility of its adoption in their economies and infrastructure. The study of the artificial intelligence market in the countries of the region has shown that there is significant potential in the introduction of such technologies in various sectors of national economies There is unevenness in the readiness of countries for digital transformation and technology adoption due to different levels of investment opportunities of national economies, human potential, government policies on artificial intelligence, political stability and technological development. Based on expert assessments, three scenarios (conservative, confident and pessimistic) of economic development of African economies depending on the level of development of the artificial intelligence market in the region were drawn up. The factors negatively affecting the processes of digital transformation were identified; the directions of using artificial intelligence technologies to solve global problems and achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth of the African continent were substantiated.

A factor in the development of the digital economy in Kazakhstan is the digital literacy of its population

This article is devoted to the main aspects of improving the level of digital literacy of the population in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Internet is a rapidly developing global phenomenon that carries unprecedented opportunities for all groups of the population, both in developed and developing countries. It has enormous potential for solving the problems of sustainable development and improving the lives of people in urban and rural areas and places where indigenous communities live, building bridges between representatives of different nations, cultures, worldviews and religions, to promote the development of education, culture and employment. The issues related to the concept of «digital literacy» of the population are considered, the importance of the population’s possession of competencies related to the field of digital literacy is shown. Criteria for determining the level of digital literacy of the population are proposed. The analysis of digital literacy of the population carried out in the article is based on the assumption that a necessary condition for the formation of a digital economy in the country is to achieve not only quantitative indicators of the formation of a digital ecosystem (the number of Internet connections, data transfer speed, affordable cost of Internet access, etc.), but also qualitative criteria expressed in the level of digital literacy of the population. The main trends in this area are reflected, current problems are identified, as well as prospects for the development of digital literacy and ways to improve it among the population of the country are considered.

InDaMul: Incentivized Data Mules for Opportunistic Networking Through Smart Contracts and Decentralized Systems

The rise of Internet-of-Things enables the development of smart applications devoted to improving the quality of life in urban and rural areas, thus fostering the creation of smart territories. However, some dislocated areas are underprivileged in providing such services due to the lack, inefficiency, or excessive cost of Internet access. Opportunistic networking techniques might aid in surmounting these problems. In this article, we propose a framework that relies on an untrusted Data Mule to carry data from an offline source to an online destination. In particular, we present a framework that enables the communication between different actors and a reward mechanism using Distributed Ledger Technologies, Smart Contracts, and Decentralized File Storage. The protocol involved in bringing a Client’s message online and getting back a response is thoroughly explained in all its steps and then discussed on the most important trust and security issues. Finally, we evaluate such a protocol and the whole framework through a series of communication latency tests, an analysis of the Smart Contract usage, and simulations in which buses act as Data Mules. Our results suggest the feasibility of our proposal in a smart territory scenario.

Online Learning Innovations in School: Case Study on Subject Teacher Conference of Junior High School Pancasila and Civic Education in Surabaya City

This research aims to discover how the Pancasila and civic education learning practices at junior high schools in Surabaya during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method this research uses is a quantitative approach with a survey design. The findings from this research are teachers and students are not ready for WFH and LFH. So, teachers use various channels in learning. For example, WhatsApp Group, Zoom, Google Classroom, and others. From this research, conclusions can be drawn, including (1) With the pandemic conditions requiring teachers to be able to adapt, from respondents who felt 13.5% less capable before the pandemic in mastering online learning, teachers were finally able to adjust supportive learning technology; (2) Mastery of teachers in online learning before the pandemic period resulted in very capably 7.9%, capable 78.7%, underprivileged 13.5%, unable 0%. The additional cost of internet access during online learning is between IDR 25,000 to IDR 100,000/month. This research novelties are tended to discuss the teachers’ readiness in Junior High School to Pancasila and civic education limited to Surabaya city.

Challenges of e-learning adoption in South African public schools: Learners’ perspectives

Educational technology (EdTech) plays a vital role in teaching and learning with e-learning ensuring equal access to education and continuity even when contact classes are impossible. The South African departments of education are making efforts to realize the use of technology in schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has an adverse impact on the education sector and accelerated the adoption of technology by many institutions with some shifting to distant learning to ensure academic continuity. There are various educational technologies. The aim of the study is to explore public high school learners’ perspectives on e-learning and the challenges in its adoption. Secondary data is used to draw conclusion. An interpretivism paradigm with an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach is used. The findings show that e-learning implementation needs careful consideration and planning. The results of this study indicate that lack of access to devices, the high cost of internet access, a perceived lack of interest among teachers and perceived ineffectiveness are the key challenges to e-learning adoption in South African public schools within poor communities. Addressing key challenges will ensure a successful implementation of e-learning.

Beyond product placement

In South Africa, advergaming currently does not reach a mass audience because of the lownumber of Internet users and the high cost of Internet access. However, as a brand communicationtool, advergaming has the potential to be used as a viral marketing tactic. The article analysesthe potential of the mobile environment as a catalyst for enabling the use of advergaming as aviral marketing tool in South Africa and proposes a theoretical model derived from an analysis ofexisting literature and observation, for operationalising mobile advergaming.

Perceptions of Students in Indonesian Higher Education Institutions Regarding Internet Access for Online (Remote) Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

While the COVID-19 crisis has sparked renewed interest in online learning research, there are only a few well-documented studies on students' perceptions of Internet access in online (remote) learning. As a result, we adopted a quantitative approach to investigate students' perceptions of Internet access for online (remote) learning in Indonesian higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The findings indicate that students in Indonesian higher education institutions negatively perceive their experience with online (remote) learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are dissatisfied with the poor performance of the Internet as well as the high cost of Internet access. They also have concerns and impediments regarding online (remote) learning. Finally, the current study's implications are discussed, along with some recommendations for future research.

Sila qanuippa? (how's the weather?): Integrating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and environmental forecasting products to support travel safety around Pond Inlet, Nunavut in a changing climate

AbstractAs Inuit hunters living in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, we (Natasha Simonee and Jayko Alooloo) travel extensively on land, water, and sea ice. Climate change, including changing sea ice and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, has made it riskier and harder for us to travel and hunt safely. Inuit knowledge supporting safe travel is also changing and shared less between generations. We increasingly use online weather, marine, and ice products to develop locally relevant forecasts. This helps us to make decisions according to wind, waves, precipitation, visibility, sea ice conditions, and floe edge location. We apply our forecasts and share them with fellow community members to support safe travel. In this paper, we share the approach we developed from over a decade of systematically and critically assessing forecasting products such as: Windy.com; weather and marine forecasts; tide tables; C-CORE’s floe edge monitoring service; SmartICE; ZoomEarth; and time lapse cameras. We describe the strengths and challenges we face when accessing, interpreting, and applying each product throughout different seasons. Our analysis highlights a disconnect between available products and local needs. This disconnect can be overcome by service providers adjusting services to include: more seasonal and real-time information, non-technical language, familiar units of measurement, data size proportional to internet access cost and speed, and clear relationships between weather/marine/ice information and safe travel. Our findings have potential relevance in the Circumpolar Arctic and beyond, wherever people combine Indigenous weather forecasting methods and online information for decision-making. We encourage service providers to improve product relevance and accessibility.

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Online and face-to-face learning: Evidence from students' performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This study investigates the factors that predict students' performance after transitioning from face‐to‐face to online learning as a result of the Covid‐19 pandemic. It uses students' responses from survey questions and the difference in the average assessment grades between pre‐lockdown and post‐lockdown at a South African university. We find that students' performance was positively associated with good wifi access, relative to using mobile internet data. We also observe lower academic performance for students who found transitioning to online difficult and who expressed a preference for self‐study (i.e. reading through class slides and notes) over assisted study (i.e. joining live lectures or watching recorded lectures). The findings suggest that improving digital infrastructure and reducing the cost of internet access may be necessary for mitigating the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on education outcomes.

A Critique of Online Learning in Higher Education during the Coronavirus Lockdown Level 5 in South Africa

Despite adapting to the lockdown necessitated by the Coronavirus pandemic, Higher Education Institutions in South Africa have acknowledged that continued lockdown further jeopardizes the 2020 academic calendar. This paper looks at what the Higher Education response has been to continue with academic activity at the onset of Lockdown Level 5. The use of electronic tuition through various media channels has been highlighted since the announcement of lockdown, at all levels of education. While this approach may constitute work-in-progress, it also poses many challenges, chief of which is the high cost of Internet access and data. In this paper, an analytical literature review was conducted using communication media analysis through desktop research. Two conceptual structures, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Two-way Communication Model (TCM), underpin the study. The paper found that the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have forced HEIs to rethink their teaching and learning strategy on the run; that online learning has begun but with varying degrees of success and that implementation presents challenges. Further monitoring post lockdown, to establish the effectiveness of the HEI response, is vital.

Enabling Collaborative Data Uploading in Body-to-Body Networks

In body-to-body networks (BBNs), a group of closely located wireless body area network (WBAN) users aggregates their network resources to improve the overall physiological data uploading performances. This enables users with the poor Internet connection, i.e., requesting users, to upload their data through their nearby WBAN users with a good Internet connection, i.e., gateway users. In this letter, we investigate the data uploading problem for BBN, where the requesting users incentivize the gateway users for data uploading. However, since the gateway users incur an additional cost (energy and Internet access cost) for uploading data, and they are heterogeneous in terms of their cost, it is more challenging to design the incentive scheme for them. To address this, we formulate a Stackelberg game, where the requesting users as leaders propose the prices, and the gateway users as followers decide the amount of requesting users' data they would upload. We prove the existence of Stackelberg equilibrium (SE) of the game using backward induction. Finally, the numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed incentive mechanism.

ICT Infrastructural and Technical Challenges: A Major Impediment towards the Development of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Nigeria

In the fast-growing population of Africa, Nigeria has become the most populous nation with over 177,000,000 inhabitants and consisting of about 32% youths (Abdulrahman et al, 2014). Sustainable development can only be achieved through proper education at all levels. While the regular classroom-based educational programmes have been characterized by incessant strikes and ever-increasing requests for admission due to increasing population, the introduction and acceptance of Open and Distance Learning programmes (ODL) as an alternative to classroom based system, has become imperative to cater for the educational needs of the entire citizenry. Although there have been considerable investments in educational facilities in most schoolsoffering ODL programmes, this research found that a lot still need to be put in place, considering that that high cost of internet access, tutor-learner relationship, educational tools and the packaging of ODL educational resources continues to pose tremendous challenges to students thereby affecting their learning rates and by extension, their academic performance.

GRADUATE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS MOBILE LEARNING AT KING KHALID UNIVERSITY (SAUDI ARABIA)

Mobile Learning (mLearning) has become an influential educational technology in higher education. With the internet and other technological developments, mLearning makes it possible for students to learn, collaborate, and share ideas with each other. However, mLearning student acceptance is critical to its effectiveness. Attitudes toward learning is a vital factor in deciding whether or not students are ready to use mLearning for academic purpose. Student attitudes may identify strengths and weaknesses of mLearning and facilitate development of the technology. This qualitative study aims to investigate graduate students’ attitudes and perceptions toward using mLearning in education. Data were collected by conducting interviews with fourteen graduate students enrolled in masters and doctoral programs in the College of Education at King Khalid University (KKU), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Generally, graduate students in education disciplines had positive attitudes toward mLearning and expressed a desire to use it in their future educational settings. Students perceived mLearning to be valuable for academic purposes, noting the convenience of being able to access course materials, the ease of communicating with other students and professors at their own pace, and the flexibility mobile devices offer over desktop or laptop computers. However, students identified a few usability issues like small screen size and keyboards, and additional cost of mobile devices and the corresponding cost of Internet access as constraints for using mobile devices for learning.

Mapping Artificial Intelligence Applications Deployed Against COVID-19 Alongside Ethics and Human Rights Considerations

This article presents an extensive and global survey on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address the COVID-19 epidemic and a comprehensive discussion of the ethical and human rights implications of AI's deployment during the pandemic. AI applications contributed to the COVID-19 response including through early warnings and alerts; tracking and prediction; diagnosis and prognosis; drug treatments; and social and medical management. There are human rights issues and ethical risks to consider with these uses of AI technology, for example, equality, non-discrimination and accessibility – particularly as they impact on gender, ethnicity, locality, and wealth. To understand risks before relying on such methods, we must assess whether data can be collected any more effectively from people in remote or disadvantaged areas than with the traditional methods. Other questions would include whether information is gathered equally from women and men, and older people; do all ethnicities have equal access to phones and mobile data; and does the cost of internet access and data use discriminate against poorer people? While the 'coronacrisis' advanced AI-based responses to global health emergencies, this wide-reaching AI capacity, raises an array of ethical and human rights challenges. The need for governments to act quickly and globally in tackling the coronavirus resulted in unprecedented practices amid a lack of public trust. AI technologies assisted governments to curb the global epidemiological threat. Yet, the application of these tools threatened fundamental rights. AI based interventions such as contact tracing raised valid fears of “surveillance creep”. Global human rights are implicated in the measures targeting the spread of COVID-19-related misinformation. Concern over the impact of the internet as a carrier of fake news amplified during COVID-19. Conspiracy theories and alternative narratives mushroomed all over the world. While some fears of misinformation in the current context are valid, the pandemic resulted in an unprecedented global crackdown on freedom of expression. AI applications during the pandemic challenged widely-held commitments to privacy, autonomy, and civil liberties. The “coronacrisis” was viewed by some as a perfect storm to undermine rights to privacy, as effected by surveillance, and freedom of expression. Tech-based responses to COVID-19 included drone surveillance, facial recognition technologies, contact-tracing and quarantine-enforcement apps. With no expiration date or sunset clauses in sight for these technologies' deployment, there are concerns that these surveillance measures could deteriorate privacy further and long-term. While AI is a powerful tool, humans remain central in evaluating and interpreting its output and its ethical application. Human input, across disciplines, remains needed for the optimal application of AI against COVID-19 and other contexts. Overcoming the lack of data needed to optimize AI as a pandemic tool will require a careful balance between data privacy and public health. Increasing diagnostic data is valuable and essential to save lives, train AI, and harness AI for other public health applications. Due to the technical, ethical, and human rights risks, AI must develop alongside human rights and ethical considerations.

Цифровая грамотность населения как фактор развития цифровой экономики в России

The article discusses issues related to the concept of "digital literacy" of the population, shows the importance of the population's possession of competencies related to the field of digital literacy. Criteria for determining the level of digital literacy of the population are proposed. In this paper, the study of the theoretical foundations of digital literacy is based on the assumption that a necessary condition for the formation of the digital economy in the country is to achieve not only quantitative indicators of the development of digital ecosystems (the number of connections to the Internet, data transfer rate, reasonable cost of Internet access, etc.) but also qualitative criteria, expressed in the level of digital literacy. The main trends in this area are reflected, current problems are identified, and prospects for the development of digital literacy and ways to improve it among the country's population are considered.

Establishing a Database of Competition between ISPs Based on Python Language

Nowadays, we have entered the era of 5G. And the application of the Internet surrounds our daily life. People need to rely on broadband products provided by different Internet service providers (ISP) when they access the Internet. People often compare the speed and the cost of Internet access between different providers. However, monopolistic behavior in the industry is severe in some countries, which may result in users having to withstand higher network access prices and lower quality broadband products. Therefore, the competition between ISPs is a direct influencing factor for users to use the network. This article first highlights the importance of competition among ISPs. And secondly, choose the European authoritative website, crawl the data, and manipulate it at the first step. Finally, this paper summarizes the ISPs competition data sets that can be used for subsequent model analysis. The author will elaborate on the relationship between competition and flow price in subsequent paper.

Development of Local Web-Based Learning (LWBL) as Low-Cost Digital Learning Efforts

In a learning practice, we cannot avoidthe use of Information Technology (IT). IT has been able to contribute to the world of education. Learning is more effective, interactive, broad, not time-bound and not patterned only in the classroom. This condition makes IT able to improve the quality of education that can be proud of. The use of IT in the world of education is increasingly being realized its benefits and not only as a complementary medium for educational institutions but has become one of the competitive strategies for institutions in order to improve the quality of its outcomes. In practice, there are some obstacles in the use of IT in learning, namely inadequate infrastructure, inadequate human resources and high operational costs. This research aims to develop a local web-based learning product in an effort to minimize the above constraints. This technology is theoretically able to contribute to students in their learning activities such as increased productivity, flexibility and interactivity without being burdened by the cost of internet access and anxiety in the appearance of content that does not educate when learning takes place. This research uses the 4D version of Research and Development (R&D) approach (Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate). The results of the study are localhost-based learning websites that can be accessed without the cost of internet access and avoidance of negative content carried by the internet. Based on the test results on the product, it is stated that the products produced can be categorized as valid, effective, and practical to be used in learning.

Investigating the Use of Instagram as a MALL Tool: The Case of Al-Imam University EFL Students

This study aimed to investigate the benefits and barriers of using Instagram in English language learning. The sample of this study consisted of 151 randomly-selected female students enrolled in the department of English at the College of Languages and Translation at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in the academic year 1436/1437– 2015/2016 in the first semester. The researcher used both a five-point Likert scale questionnaire as a quantitative instrument and semi-structured interviews with students as a qualitative instrument to collect the data of the study. Those instruments were validated by ten university professors. Similarly, the reliability of the questionnaire was achieved by calculating Cronbach Alpha formula. The findings of the study revealed that the most important benefits of using Instagram in learning English were as follows: improving the reading, writing, and listening skills, providing enjoyable learning experiences, enriching vocabulary, improving oral communication skills, and enjoying a sense of freedom of time and place. Furthermore, the results of the study unveiled the following challenges of using Instagram in English learning: distracting attention, lack of direction from the syllabuses, lack of encouragement from instructors, embarrassment, lack of immediate feedback, the cost of Internet access, and the difficulty of writing long passages. Finally, the findings of the study presented the following solutions to Instagram barriers in English language learning: creating learning accounts and posting important things in the lecture, following only specialized accounts for learning English.