Empowering information and communication technologies in isolated areas: learning from the solar-net villages program in honduras

To reduce poverty caused by inequality of opportunities in isolated areas, many developing countries are now taking advantage of recent technical advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enable the remote populations to enjoy the benefits of improved commerce, education, health, and other social services. This paper describes lessons learned from the Solar-Net Villages Program (or Aldeas Solares) of Honduras with respect to its early attempts to find technological solutions for providing ICT services to isolated areas and the government's ongoing efforts to balance the objective of assisting the most disadvantaged populations with the need to have sustainable services.