The successful completion of two international evaluation missions on optical route projects in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic in June-July 2001, stressed the interest from international institutions and agencies working in Central America and the Caribbean countries to include GTR-UNNE in similar further operations.

Since 1998, the group has cooperated in field surveys, strategic planning and specialized training in rural telecommunications in projects abroad. As a part of pilot area studies envisaged within the recently-completed ROCHA research plan (PI-420), GTR delivered expert assistance in engineering analysis, pre-feasibility assessment and technical recommendations for large national optical routes over high-voltage power lines in Central America. Specific tools, including long-run demand forecasting techniques for broadband transport services, developed for the ROCHA network proposal in the province of Chaco were appropriately customized for utilization in national optical routes in the region. During the 2001-2004 R&D plan, the group will continue to perform technical & economic analysis of broadband networks for rural areas, community telecentres and universal access as a part of its research and technology assistance responsibilities.

During almost a decade of work in different fields of rural telecommunications research, GTR-UNNE papers achieved success at their inclusion in important technical and academic fora in many countries, but it was just last July, 2001 when a submission was for the first time exposed within a scientific meeting held in Hong Kong (Republic of China). The contribution "A Stepwise Benchmarking Model for Evaluating Marginal Impact and Location Patterns in Universal Access Projects" authored by Darío M. Goussal and María Sandra Udrízar Lezcano was accepted by the Scientific Committee of the 6^th. Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society (ITS-2001).

The conference was organized by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, gathering over 120 participants that presented quality technical submissions. Unfortunately, presentation by GTR authors was ultimately not possible due to lack of private sponsorship enough to cover travel expenses, but the occasion was anyway good to reinforce traditionnal GTR ties with the Asia-Pacific scientific community. As a result, a number of inquiries about the theme addressed in this paper and about former GTR research was received via e-mail from participants of USA, Japan and the Pacific Rim.

In commemoration of the World Telecommunications Day 2001, a 15-hour workshop intitled "Globalization and Occupational Training for Telecommunications" was organized by GTR-UNNE and the regional branch of the industry-leading union labor, FOEESITRA (Federacion de Obreros, Empleados y Especialistas de la Industria y los Servicios de las Telecomunicaciones de la República Argentina). The workshop, held at FOEESITRA headquarters in Resistencia on May 11 and May 17 included multimedia lectures by GTR research Coordinator Ing. Dario M. Goussal combined with group discussions. Around 25 participants came from large telcos, industry providers and small telephone cooperatives of the northeastern littoral region.

ROCHA Project: GTR Survey on Bandwidth Needs and Internet Connectivity

The latest contribution of GTR-UNNE to the XIII Biennial Conference of the International Telecommunications Society (ITS-2000), entails an alternative evaluation approach for large projects involving Multipurpose Community Telecentres (MCTs) or any domestic network devoted to public access to information-. The paper focuses on detailed comparison analysis of variables of the location pattern of CTCs (Centros Tecnologicos Comunitarios) -a public-funded network just implemented in Argentina and comprising some 1,400 community telecentres nationwide-. The study was performed by tracking out data of selected public access networks from the PAIA database, a newly-built resource available for current research at GTR, referred to the 3 critical dimensions of Universal Access initiatives: geographical coverage, distribution equitability and effective access affordability.

After long and hard work requiring extensive screening in thousands of listings, maps and directories, a new powerful tool has been built by GTR-UNNE: the Public Access to Information in Argentina database (PAIA). This is a large reference source containing location and details of libraries, FM broadcasting radios, community telecentres and other facilities devoted to public access to information, including their distribution in 3,058 populated areas nationwide. The database holds as well data on CATV providers, ISP points of presence (POP), tariff allocation zones & dial-up availability. Besides that, it has precise location coordinates and details for over 6,000 NGOs and other archives. The new source is suitable for Census mapping, location trend analysis and other cross-sectional studies on connectivity status and project evaluation currently developed by the group.

A special invitation from UNESCO in Paris to GTR member Darío Goussal -as one of the four expert panelllists- enabled his presentation on the issue of "Universal Access: Facilitating Access to Network and Services". In the forum chaired by Philippe Quéau, Director of the Information and Informatics Division of the organization headquartered in France, Ambassador Makarim Wibisono, President of the Economic and Social Council inaugurated the specialized panel. A number of ambassadors and official representatives of different countries gave rise to a highly interactive discussion, open to questions and proposals.

• Development of a Tele-traffic Engineering Handbook. - Chairperson: Villy B. Iversen (ITC, Denmark)
• Traffic characteristics and potential demand of new services - Beatrice Craignou (France Telecom, France)
• Data acquisition, traffic measurements and analysis - Lars Engvall (ITC - Sweden)
• Network planning, optimization tools and programmes (with demonstrations) - Ignat Stanev (ITC, Bulgaria)
• Network Management - Ezzat Fakhr ElDin (ITU-Cairo Regional Office, Egypt)
• Tariffs and traffic interdependence - Giovanni Repici (ITC, Italy)
• Integrated Rural Development - Dario Goussal (GTR-UNNE, Argentina)

Continuating the widespreading of current research on new rural community telecentre models (Type-0 telecentres), GTR submitted a document proposal on this issue to the International Telecommunications Union- Development Sector (ITU-D), on the occassion of the Second Meeting of the Study Group 2 (BDT-SG2), held at ITU headquarters in Geneve, Switzerland last September. The GTR contribution, based on the findings of field work carried out in 1998 in Suriname, was introduced to this technical forum by Dr. Lars Engvall- Senior Member, BDT-SG2 and President of CTSC International (Nice, France).

Since June-1999 the Rural Telecommunications Group is carrying out a Preliminary Survey on Distance Learning Technologies for Universities, within research studies in the project: "Deployment analysis for the Province of Chaco Optical Route (ROCHA project)", one of the current group´s research initiatives. Survey operations to date targeted UNNE schools at Resistencia, Roque Saenz Peña and Corrientes, and will likely resume early in the next academic term. The fully annonymus opinion pool tries to figure out needs and driving motivations of both teachers and students facing the likable introduction of advanced distance learning technologies at university premises, including broadband interactive transmission devices, and transmission media for virtual classrooms/ virtual campuses located at remote villages.

Field studies performed by GTR in 1998 in Suriname, as a part of an evaluation mission on ITU´s rural telecentres pilot project in this country led to the formulation of a new rural community telecentre model (Type-0 telecentres). In such a model, both the physical infrastructure, the services provided and the up-front investment are reduced to a minimum in order to effectively match the needs of low-income and isolated regions. A first GTR paper on this issue was exposed last June 7-11^st at the International Teletraffic Congresss (ITC-16) held in Edimburgh, Scotland. The paper from GTR was presented in Scotland by Dr. Lars Engvall, president of CTSC International -a non-government organization headquartered in Nice, France-. Dr. Engvall, a well-known senior expert in community telecentres is also member of of ITU-D´s Study Group 2 and chairman of ITC-Committee 3.

A GTR Briefing Seminar in commemoration of the Telecommunications World Day was held last May 17^th, 1999 at UNNE´s School of Engineering in Resistencia. The School also celebrated the 10^th. Anniversary of the completion of the UNNE-IMC-OAS Rural Telephony Program, successfully carried out in Mexico in 1988-1989 and sponsored by the Organization of American States. The conferences addressed current research projects developed by GTR, as well as technical and institutional news on extension, technology transfer and international cooperation activities performed by the Group. The Seminar succeeded at gathering almost a hundred participants from different institutions and private companies, university & technical high-school students, teachers and personnel from operators and cooperatives in the NEA provinces.

The meeting also benefited from outstanding contributions by guest presenters from Hewlett Packard Argentina S.A. and FECOTEL (Telephone cooperatives federation), specially invited to this occasion by GTR-UNNE. The Seminar addressed the following issues:

• Introduction to fiber optics technology.
• Measurements in optical cables by using Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)
• Chaco Optical Route (ROCHA Project)
• Rural community telecentres (TCR Project)
• Liberalization of telecommunications in Argentina and the role of telephony cooperatives.
• 21^st. century pilot projects: type-0 community telecentres and telematics connection for rural schools and paramedical service (COTEPSA project).
• National and international cooperation in rural telecommunications

The Rural Telecommunications Group is seeking external funding for ongoing activities of the newly approved R&D initiative, the Chaco Optical Route (ROCHA project). Within this program, a number of forecasting techniques and database operations will enlighten the conditions of deployment for a prototyping high-capacity, 300-Km terrestrial optical backbone crossing rural areas of northern Argentina. Devoted primarily to link university campuses and other important sources of multimedia and broadband services, the Chaco Optical Route is also envisaged as a key proposal to study on the foreseeable impact of the introduction of ample, low cost broadband services in rural areas ("bandwidth flooding"). GTR has also planned detailed field surveys and data gathering in the proposed pilot area and abroad, in order to keep track of the outcomes of foreign distance education facilities using 2-way real-time video and other broadband services. The workplan of the ROCHA project (UNNE code: PI - 420) will last to july, 2001.

The paper intitled: "Inverse Cross-Subsidization (Rural-Urban): Paradox and Evidence" (authored by Darío M. Goussal and María Sandra Udrízar Lezcano) was successfully presented last January 17-21 in Honolulu, USA during the 21^st. Annual Pacific Telecommunications Conference (PTC-99).

Participants coming from 5 continents met with hungarian delegates to examine important issues related to the present and future of Multipurpose Community Telecentres, as recommended in the 1998 Valleta Action Plan. The meeting, which was also webcasted via the Internet, enabled the exposure of useful experiences, productive discussions and insights, finally synthesized within a "10-Commandments" draft proposal. The Hungarian Telecottage Association presented the video "Our Telecottages", the word of key witnesses of this powerful telecottage movement

A submission on the current roles of Engineering in transdisplinary research (by Darío M. Goussal) was exposed last December, 7-11^th. during the IV Congreso Nacional de Políticas de la Ingeniería - 4^th. National Congress on Engineering Policies- held in Buenos Aires, Argentina at Centro Argentino de Ingenieros (CAI). The paper, which was discussed within the Science and Technology Commission by GTR member Eng. Sandra Udrízar Lezcano on behalf of the author, encompasses a revisionist plea on elements of the relationship between Engineering science and R&D projects, regarding to both traditional and alternative policies historically undertaken by different countries and the developing world. Free copies of the report are already available upon e-mail request.