As telecommunication becomes an intregal part of global relations, international aid agencies will be presented with opportunities to provide infrastructure where normal forces have not done so. In each case, agencies and their workers will need to examine the potential for benefits as well as risks to the recipient communities, and choose systems which reflect community needs and limitations. This report provides an analysis of both positive and negative political, economic and social effects of telecommunications infrastructure, as well as criteria for choosing the appropriate technology. Aid agencies may then have the information they need to design and input the most appropriate technology for any given situation.
--Author's foreword.
