I graduated from Jadavpur University (India) in Chemical Engineering in 1981. I have worked with the Institutions of Engineers (India) in their Editorial Board (Technical) for 12 years. This position gave me the unique opportunity to be part of the Technology Planning process of various government as well as private enterprises in India. After relocating to Singapore in 1995, I am working as an independent consultant for various IT projects, mainly for the SME market.

Dr T.T. Sreekumar

ICT Adoption & Social Change in Rural South Asia: A Case Study on Grameen Telecom in Bangladesh.

Studies on social construction of technology have interesting insights. Some scholars believe that technocrats manipulate the needs and aspirations of their consumers. While others feel certain strategic confrontations among various social agents, fighting for social positions of power, dictate the trajectory of technology in society. Marxists, on the other hand, still believe that social shaping of technology is predominantly a class issue: a struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Looking at any technological system from the developing countries perspective adds further new dimensions to the whole story of technology and society. The political economy of under-development along with feminist approach to development also has significant repercussions to the development of technology in the developing counties as well. This paper on telecommunications in rural Bangladesh studies all these aspects and focuses on innovations adopted by Grameen Telecom to offer universal access through a system of shared resources of mobile telephones.