``Hello, Kabul Calling''; Reuters Foundation and Stanford University Program Supports Technology Visionaries Working on Humanitarian Projects.

News & Business Editors

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2002

Just a few months ago, placing or receiving an international telephone call in Afghanistan was punishable by death at the hands of the Taliban. Then by December, most of the country's telecommunications infrastructure lay in ruins. Today thanks to the efforts of a determined group of relief workers, the war-torn city of Kabul has a working cell phone site with instant access to anywhere in the world.

Credit for this extraordinary achievement goes to Enrica Porcari, now at Stanford University as a Reuters Digital Vision Fellow. Last year, while working at the United Nations' World Food Program, Porcari and her staff convinced Swedish equipment maker Ericsson AB to donate a complete mobile telecommunications site for a six-month period.

The UN agency airlifted the equipment to Kabul this month and in a matter of days workers got the gear connected. The Ericsson system, now installed on a hill in the center of Kabul, can host up to 5,000 subscribers. Initially it will provide communications for 200 users from the UN and other humanitarian organizations, making their relief work more efficient. In addition, Ericsson is donating several hundred mobile phones.

The next step, says Porcari, will be to create the operational infrastructure that is necessary to keep the cell site running and economically viable. Unless a sustainable solution is developed, the gear will be dismantled and placed in storage. Porcari plans to design a viable model here in Silicon Valley at Stanford University, where she is beginning a six month Digital Vision Fellowship. The Reuters Foundation, the non-profit arm of the 150-year old media and information technology company, based in London, England, funds the program.

The current group of Reuters Digital Vision fellows includes six individuals focused on challenges in regions as geographically diverse as Afghanistan, rural India and suburban Rio de Janeiro. Technology issues range from logistics and data mining to connectivity and information publishing. "The Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship offers a rare opportunity for creative minds to take a step back, think innovatively, and make a practical difference in the lives of people who have yet to benefit from the information revolution," says Program Director Stuart Gannes.

With an emphasis on building practical, sustainable prototypes and actively collaborating with local communities to implement solutions, Reuters Digital Vision fellows become entrepreneurs in the humanitarian landscape. Their talent and pioneering work have reaped rewards for their respective organizations. The Stanford program offers the opportunity to devote their creativity and passion for innovation to a different cause -- one that will have a real impact on the daily lives of the most needy.

The Program announced today that it is now accepting applications for the 2002-2003 academic year. As the Program establishes itself on the Stanford campus, it hopes to attract new fellows from technology companies in Silicon Valley, as well as worldwide. In upcoming months, staffers plan to meet individually with high-tech companies throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Application forms are available at http://reuters.stanford.edu, (note: no www in URL) or by calling the Program office at 650/724-4069.

The aim is to find the future Enrica Porcaris from the large pool of Fellowship candidates who are passionate about applying information and communications technology to the betterment of mankind. Says Gannes, "It is significant that, through the fellows, companies are giving something much more potent than money or equipment alone. They are contributing the knowledge and commitment of outstanding people who want to make a difference."

About The Program

The Reuters Foundation Digital Vision Fellowship http://reuters.stanford.edu (note: no www in URL) is a unique program that brings together the academic, corporate, and non-governmental organization (NGO) sectors. It gives outstanding technologists the opportunity to come to the Stanford University campus and apply their vision and talent to address challenges facing the developing world.

About Reuters Foundation

Reuters Foundation, http://www.foundation.reuters.com, is a humanitarian and educational trust, primarily funded by Reuters, the global news, information and technology group. Its work reflects the values and concerns of the company and its employees. It focuses on areas where Reuters skills and expertise in information gathering, technology and communications can be put to use in ways which will benefit the communities in which Reuters works worldwide.