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Is the “Micro Electronics” an Appropriate Technology for the Developing Countries?
Copyright C I FAC Syste ms Approac h to App ropri ate T echnology Transfer. Vienna . Austri a 1983
IS THE "MICRO -ELECTRONICS" AN APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES? R. EI-Hadidy Elect ronic Indust ries R esearch & Developm ent Centre, UNIDO, Cairo, Egypt
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND HUMAN FACTOR
but not operat i ng or operating but wi th doors and windows open , permitti n g dust inside plus the poor possib i l i ty of maintenance , lack of spare parts , et c .
In t he f i e l d of e l ect r o - techn i que , the e qu i pment for us e in tropical p l aces (where ma n y developing countries are s i tuated) had to be tropical i zed in the beg i nn in g , afte r wards the wo r d t r op i cal iz ation had been changed to acclimat iz ation , to be more genera l. So that accl i matization was used as
I n s o me t r opic a ri d deve l op i ng coun t rie s wh e r e th ere is much dus t th ey th o u g ht t o so l ve th e pro bl e m o f e l ec tr omechan i ca l telephone exchan~es by u sing a n e l ect r on i c one, i . e . b y intr oduc in g mo r e advanced techno l o~y .
an adap t a ti o n of equipme nt and ma ter i a ls fo r th e n eed o f deve l oping countrie s wh ich influences th e fu n ctiona l ope r atio n a nd t h e l i fe t ime of equ i p me n t.
COMMUNICATIONS AND ENVIRON MEN T The re l at i on between communication and env i ronment is treated in an article publ i shed i n "Electronic News ", Oc t ober 1977 , wi th the title " Ca ll ing thd East - a spec i al prob l em market. " The occas i on was the d i scussions in Atlanta , USA , o f internati ona l communi cat i ons marketing, particularly the th r ust towa r d the new l y oil - rich Mi ddle Easte r n and othe r developing countries .
But the c li matic condit i ons are not the on l y factor because the human factor plays a l so an important role i n th i s concer n. Here we speak about the human factor not only as its specific limited meaning but also as a genera l term that in c l udes the state of development , t he l i ving conditions of the cultu r e and the infrastructure. The i nteg r ated effect of both climatic con d itions and human factor is conside r ed to be the environmental effect.
During the discussions , the Western El ectric executive vice - president of government and international sales pointed ou t that frec,uently no data is avai l able on communications traffic patterns for use in network planning. Contracts are also complicated by the incompatib i lity of earlier ge nerations of equipment with h i gh - speed modern electron i c equipment .
i . e . Climatic Condition + Human Factor = Environment EXAMPLE OF PROJECT ADAPTAT I ON TO THE NE EDS OF DEVELOPING COUKTRIES Eg : Let two sim il ar telephone exchanges be installed i n tw o different places where the climate is tropic arid or de sert climate . And let one telephone excha nge be operated in a developed country, say Ar izona in the USA , and the other in a developing country . The human factor in the developed country permits a proper function of the equipment because it is furnished with clean air - conditioned surroundings and with proper maintenance facil i tie s. Pr obab l y, the same telephone exchange operating i n a developing country could be out of order because of air - cond i t i pn i ng not being ava i lable or avai l ab l e TT-F. ·
125
He added that the lack of trained maintenance personnel meant systems d e s i gned wi th bui l t - in jiaf~ ~ 5t i c capab ili t i es generally wi ll ~ave a competit i ve advanta ge . At the same time , local climate and env i ronmental factors may preclude t he use of SOme equipment . Dur i ng the same discussions , concern i ng d i g it al
cavea t, the cha ir man of Te l ecomm u n i ca ti ons L td. told execu t ives to avoid ove r se l lin~ the
~o rt hern
the
advantages of dig i tal technology . Although fully - di g ital systems will offer savings of 20% or mOre over ana l ogue techno l ogy , digital equipment has a l ower tolerance for poor
R. El-Hadidy
126
maintenance, a situation faced in the underdeveloped countries. He said," Digital technology will not tolerate a poor outside plant or poor maintenance. This is a difficult point to get across, particularly in nonindustrial countries . They almost completely ignore the importance of an excellent outside plant and of the total maintenance job . This is especially true of those countries with weak technical infrastructure and which are dependent upon foreign aid for their financing." He added, "Industrial suppliers must be prepared to supply, in addition to hardware, the know - how and training necessary for local nationals. For the less-developed it will mean a fully pledged commitment to le arn ing the necessary skills and acquiring the means to perpetuate the infrastructure, to train the software experts, the integrated circuit specialists and the plant and construction engineers ." Here we are not commenting on the point of view of the speakers but we are po inti ng out only the relation between communications and environmenta l factors. This can be considered for electronics in gene ral and not for telecommuni cations only. At the beginning, the developing coun tries - as users only - were getting the appropriate technology with a package such as: machine , equipment, system, etc. But when the developing countries began the industrialization they required transfer of technology through know - how, traintng, etc. In any case, the transferred technology has to be appropriate . MICRO-ELECTRONICS IS AN APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES From the previous two examples of tele phone exchange and communications we can say that the appropriate technology for the develop i ng countries is not the r.ost sophisticated nor the less sophisticated but that one which suits the environr.ental conditions . It is clear that the most important advances in technology during recent years are in the field of micro electronics . ;:OH let us see what advantages micro - electron ics can give to be the appropriate technology for the developing countries: Suitab ility for harsh environmental conditions : Electro - mechanical devices (eg . relays ) can be replaced with encapsu la ted micro- pro cessor units to reduce the possible breakdown through dust, heat, mOisture, corrosion, etc.
More reliable: The devices are more sturdy and reliable that can withstand m~suse poor maintenance .
and
Improved serviceability and maintenance : Systems have fewer components and less power consumption and heat generation. Systems can be designed with built -in diagonal capability to overcome the lack of trained maintenance personnel . Easy to develop and to expand: Easy expansion because of modu larized hardware and reprogrammable software . Relatively low cost: The capability of many functions at low cost makes it accessible to those of limited income. Systems which before were only a v ailab le to big firms are now Hithin the reach of smal l firms. This facilitates decen tralized operations on a small scale. Logic capability: That offers the systems g reat possi bilities and many opportun ities for users . To permit low sk illed personnel to perform very and processes.
difficult
operations
NeH technology: This is the right moment for the developing countries to leap in because the technological gap between them and the deve l oped countries in this f i eld is still possible to bridge. The many advantages of micro-electronics and mic ro-processors have given this technology precisely those character istics that make it appropriate for use in developing countries. By putting the computing power of a l arge ma in-fra me computer on a chip use, and with software programm in g capability, micro-processor utilization comes well within the reach of develop ing countries and for developing countries , the micro - processor has opened the door to a vast field of app lic ation which can help ove rcome one of the greatest problems of developing economies. Those who fail to become involved now will face a much more difficult challenge in the future and conse quently, a much greater likelihood of finding themselves locked into a condition of dependency. Those who do enter nOH will be much bette r able to control the direction of technology development of their own appropriate use and benefit. Like many other countries in the wor ld, Egypt has gradually been introducing micro - electronics into various areas of activity, such as communications ( includi ng telephony), health (diagnost ic and treatment apparatus) , trade ( cash registers), services
Micro-electronics and Developing Countries
(ca lc ulators ) , enterta in ment , manage ment (compu ter centres), and also in universities and la borator ie s . Desp ite of that beginn i ng , Egypt has to take additional action to be able to ma st er the micro - el ect r onic technology in a sho r t pe riod . Egypt i an activities in mi c r o - elect ronics intend to cover software , hardware and even in teg rated circuits ma nufacturing . In this concern , " Elec tronic Industries Research and De velopment Centre" (E IR DC) i s establishing a hybrid integrated circuit lab oratory using thick - film techno l ogy . We consider that hybr i d techno lo gy is a proper start of IC manufactu rin g . steps should be taken to prepa re for this new technolo gy and ensure f o r deve l oping countries their proper ro l e in micro - electronics as an element in their st rate gie s for technologic al development.
127
IS THE "MICRO -ELECTRONICS" AN APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES? R. EI-Hadidy Elect ronic Indust ries R esearch & Developm ent Centre, UNIDO, Cairo, Egypt
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND HUMAN FACTOR
but not operat i ng or operating but wi th doors and windows open , permitti n g dust inside plus the poor possib i l i ty of maintenance , lack of spare parts , et c .
In t he f i e l d of e l ect r o - techn i que , the e qu i pment for us e in tropical p l aces (where ma n y developing countries are s i tuated) had to be tropical i zed in the beg i nn in g , afte r wards the wo r d t r op i cal iz ation had been changed to acclimat iz ation , to be more genera l. So that accl i matization was used as
I n s o me t r opic a ri d deve l op i ng coun t rie s wh e r e th ere is much dus t th ey th o u g ht t o so l ve th e pro bl e m o f e l ec tr omechan i ca l telephone exchan~es by u sing a n e l ect r on i c one, i . e . b y intr oduc in g mo r e advanced techno l o~y .
an adap t a ti o n of equipme nt and ma ter i a ls fo r th e n eed o f deve l oping countrie s wh ich influences th e fu n ctiona l ope r atio n a nd t h e l i fe t ime of equ i p me n t.
COMMUNICATIONS AND ENVIRON MEN T The re l at i on between communication and env i ronment is treated in an article publ i shed i n "Electronic News ", Oc t ober 1977 , wi th the title " Ca ll ing thd East - a spec i al prob l em market. " The occas i on was the d i scussions in Atlanta , USA , o f internati ona l communi cat i ons marketing, particularly the th r ust towa r d the new l y oil - rich Mi ddle Easte r n and othe r developing countries .
But the c li matic condit i ons are not the on l y factor because the human factor plays a l so an important role i n th i s concer n. Here we speak about the human factor not only as its specific limited meaning but also as a genera l term that in c l udes the state of development , t he l i ving conditions of the cultu r e and the infrastructure. The i nteg r ated effect of both climatic con d itions and human factor is conside r ed to be the environmental effect.
During the discussions , the Western El ectric executive vice - president of government and international sales pointed ou t that frec,uently no data is avai l able on communications traffic patterns for use in network planning. Contracts are also complicated by the incompatib i lity of earlier ge nerations of equipment with h i gh - speed modern electron i c equipment .
i . e . Climatic Condition + Human Factor = Environment EXAMPLE OF PROJECT ADAPTAT I ON TO THE NE EDS OF DEVELOPING COUKTRIES Eg : Let two sim il ar telephone exchanges be installed i n tw o different places where the climate is tropic arid or de sert climate . And let one telephone excha nge be operated in a developed country, say Ar izona in the USA , and the other in a developing country . The human factor in the developed country permits a proper function of the equipment because it is furnished with clean air - conditioned surroundings and with proper maintenance facil i tie s. Pr obab l y, the same telephone exchange operating i n a developing country could be out of order because of air - cond i t i pn i ng not being ava i lable or avai l ab l e TT-F. ·
125
He added that the lack of trained maintenance personnel meant systems d e s i gned wi th bui l t - in jiaf~ ~ 5t i c capab ili t i es generally wi ll ~ave a competit i ve advanta ge . At the same time , local climate and env i ronmental factors may preclude t he use of SOme equipment . Dur i ng the same discussions , concern i ng d i g it al
cavea t, the cha ir man of Te l ecomm u n i ca ti ons L td. told execu t ives to avoid ove r se l lin~ the
~o rt hern
the
advantages of dig i tal technology . Although fully - di g ital systems will offer savings of 20% or mOre over ana l ogue techno l ogy , digital equipment has a l ower tolerance for poor
R. El-Hadidy
126
maintenance, a situation faced in the underdeveloped countries. He said," Digital technology will not tolerate a poor outside plant or poor maintenance. This is a difficult point to get across, particularly in nonindustrial countries . They almost completely ignore the importance of an excellent outside plant and of the total maintenance job . This is especially true of those countries with weak technical infrastructure and which are dependent upon foreign aid for their financing." He added, "Industrial suppliers must be prepared to supply, in addition to hardware, the know - how and training necessary for local nationals. For the less-developed it will mean a fully pledged commitment to le arn ing the necessary skills and acquiring the means to perpetuate the infrastructure, to train the software experts, the integrated circuit specialists and the plant and construction engineers ." Here we are not commenting on the point of view of the speakers but we are po inti ng out only the relation between communications and environmenta l factors. This can be considered for electronics in gene ral and not for telecommuni cations only. At the beginning, the developing coun tries - as users only - were getting the appropriate technology with a package such as: machine , equipment, system, etc. But when the developing countries began the industrialization they required transfer of technology through know - how, traintng, etc. In any case, the transferred technology has to be appropriate . MICRO-ELECTRONICS IS AN APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES From the previous two examples of tele phone exchange and communications we can say that the appropriate technology for the develop i ng countries is not the r.ost sophisticated nor the less sophisticated but that one which suits the environr.ental conditions . It is clear that the most important advances in technology during recent years are in the field of micro electronics . ;:OH let us see what advantages micro - electron ics can give to be the appropriate technology for the developing countries: Suitab ility for harsh environmental conditions : Electro - mechanical devices (eg . relays ) can be replaced with encapsu la ted micro- pro cessor units to reduce the possible breakdown through dust, heat, mOisture, corrosion, etc.
More reliable: The devices are more sturdy and reliable that can withstand m~suse poor maintenance .
and
Improved serviceability and maintenance : Systems have fewer components and less power consumption and heat generation. Systems can be designed with built -in diagonal capability to overcome the lack of trained maintenance personnel . Easy to develop and to expand: Easy expansion because of modu larized hardware and reprogrammable software . Relatively low cost: The capability of many functions at low cost makes it accessible to those of limited income. Systems which before were only a v ailab le to big firms are now Hithin the reach of smal l firms. This facilitates decen tralized operations on a small scale. Logic capability: That offers the systems g reat possi bilities and many opportun ities for users . To permit low sk illed personnel to perform very and processes.
difficult
operations
NeH technology: This is the right moment for the developing countries to leap in because the technological gap between them and the deve l oped countries in this f i eld is still possible to bridge. The many advantages of micro-electronics and mic ro-processors have given this technology precisely those character istics that make it appropriate for use in developing countries. By putting the computing power of a l arge ma in-fra me computer on a chip use, and with software programm in g capability, micro-processor utilization comes well within the reach of develop ing countries and for developing countries , the micro - processor has opened the door to a vast field of app lic ation which can help ove rcome one of the greatest problems of developing economies. Those who fail to become involved now will face a much more difficult challenge in the future and conse quently, a much greater likelihood of finding themselves locked into a condition of dependency. Those who do enter nOH will be much bette r able to control the direction of technology development of their own appropriate use and benefit. Like many other countries in the wor ld, Egypt has gradually been introducing micro - electronics into various areas of activity, such as communications ( includi ng telephony), health (diagnost ic and treatment apparatus) , trade ( cash registers), services
Micro-electronics and Developing Countries
(ca lc ulators ) , enterta in ment , manage ment (compu ter centres), and also in universities and la borator ie s . Desp ite of that beginn i ng , Egypt has to take additional action to be able to ma st er the micro - el ect r onic technology in a sho r t pe riod . Egypt i an activities in mi c r o - elect ronics intend to cover software , hardware and even in teg rated circuits ma nufacturing . In this concern , " Elec tronic Industries Research and De velopment Centre" (E IR DC) i s establishing a hybrid integrated circuit lab oratory using thick - film techno l ogy . We consider that hybr i d techno lo gy is a proper start of IC manufactu rin g . steps should be taken to prepa re for this new technolo gy and ensure f o r deve l oping countries their proper ro l e in micro - electronics as an element in their st rate gie s for technologic al development.
127