UNIDO-Ericsson Partnership
Enhancing SME participation in electronic and mobile business
To promote the participation of small and medium enterprises in developing countries, UNIDO has joined hands with L.M. Ericsson in order to formulate an integrated approach to SME participation in electronic and mobile business (EMB), from technical application to policy making.
Objectives
- help bridging the digital divide through more widespread access to wireless communication
- obtain a clear picture of the needs and aspirations of developing countries in that context
Project components
- Desk study of the present trends in EMB and the situation in the developing countries,
- Three illustrative case studies on Egypt, Sri Lanka and Uganda, based on interviews with SMEs support institutions, telecommunications providers and Government policy makers.
Desk research and field studies were carried out jointly by the two organizations. On the basis of this work, areas for follow-up action were identified.
UNIDO organized three workshops in Egypt, Sri Lanka and Uganda. Industrialists, support institutions, telecommunications providers and government policy makers were invited to map out a viable approach for SMEs to take part in electronic and mobile commerce. The workshops provided a two-way channel of communication: participants were made aware of the opportunities offered by mobile and electronic commerce, while UNIDO and Ericsson pinpointed the bottlenecks that SMEs face at the policy, institutional and enterprise levels.
The outcomes of the three workshops form the core of a joint UNIDO-Ericsson Study on the relationship between cutting-edge telecommunications, electronic commerce and mobile Internet services, on the one hand, and the production processes of SMEs in developing countries on the other.
To return to partnership projects, click here.
