The PC- aided Enterprise and Re-cycling ICT: An ICT for D Story?

Nimmi Rangas amy "icrosoft Research India nimmir@microsoft.com S!mitra Nair Virginia Tech sumitran@vt.edu

A#stract This paper focuses on three goals: first, to investigate organic ICT (information and communication technologies) immersions from a study of PC aided !icro and "mall #nterprises (!"#s) in a lo$ income slum neigh%orhood in !um%ai& second, to articulate a ne$ and evolving socio technical system in a slum ecology& third, to see' a fit %et$een the goals of ICT for (evelopment (ICT() and the impacts of PC aided enterprise on ICT access and adoption. )ur findings are also three fold: first, ICT aided !"#s are self sustaining& second, they promote self s'ill %uilding& third, they re cycle technology for greater afforda%ility and effective immersion.

$ey %ords: ICT for (, *r%an "lum, !um%ai, #thnography, "mall +usiness

Introd!ction

,otions of technology immersion, adoption and use have a deep relationship $ith availa%ility of digital media and socio technical factors influencing technology access. -hile the com%ined impacts of economic li%erali.ation and the telecom revolution are evident in select areas across ur%an India/s IT par's, telecom infrastructure and information and communication technology (ICT) consumption, a significant section of the country remains on the $ea'er side of the digital divide. #ven $ithin these glo%ali.ing cities several localities continue to %e resource poor, sometimes lac'ing s'eletal ICT infrastructure %ut $ith the advantage of sourcing the city/s pool of resources to create local amenities. This paper reports on one such neigh%orhood, a su%ur%an slum in metropolitan !um%ai. -e

conducted a conte0tual study of PC aided micro enterprises focusing on the learning and employa%ility of PC using s'ills to start up survival economies in a resource poor lo$ income community. -e revie$ and e0amine the variety of services, %usiness maintenance and e0pansion practices of 12 PC using micro enterprises. -ithin e0tremely limited economic and technical

resource pools, the slum is a%le to provide certain specific advantages for its populace in accessing, self s'illing and doing %usiness $ith ICTs.

The a%ility to adapt and use ICTs is a critical %usiness s'ill. )ur research on PC using %usinesses suggests that infrastructural access to and maintenance of hard$are and soft$are technology, and to a lesser e0tent the internet, affects livelihood potential and gro$th possi%ilities. Challenges in slum neigh%orhoods %egin $ith availa%ility and 3uality of socio technical resources amplified %y challenges in access to 'no$ledge, e0tended training and high costs of technology maintenance and use. 4ence, the focus on ho$ drivers of ICT aided micro enterprises display entrepreneurial spirit

and s'ills that match service offerings to local needs, creating %usiness opportunities and routes of technology access in constrained environments. #ntrepreneurs recast information technologies

through creative resource management to accommodate the gro$ing demand for PC %ased services. These range from image editing s'ills in a photo studio, servicing PCs in cy%er caf5s or computer training institutes, net$or'ing and maintaining client PCs (home and office) and PC assem%ling.

-e propose that PC aided enterprises are nodes to immerse paths of technology consumption, use, adoption and s'illing6 opportunities. -e also present and discuss a variety of conte0t specific and commercial instances of ICT services manifest in everyday %usiness and locali.ation of information and communication technology. These function as survival economies and often service the %ottom of the pyramid consumer through reasona%le and sometimes even su% mar'et pricing to attract more users. 7astly and most importantly, $e use the term re-cycling ICT to denote a socio %usiness process %y $hich digital hard$are, soft$are and related s'ills are procured, learnt and dis%ursed via informal and peer to peer net$or'ing, training and servicing. These practices ensure that ICT o$nership, access and adoption are afforda%le, usa%le and servicea%le to populations marginal to mainstream and glo%al ICT mar'ets.

"ethod 8ar from homogeni.ation that might %e e0pected from the glo%al appropriation of ne$ technologies, ethnography reveals considera%le geographical variation in the appropriation and impact of ICTs. -e outline the socio technical ecology of PC using micro enterprises $ithin a slum in su%ur%an ,orth !um%ai. The slum is nestled %et$een t$o %usy high$ays and neigh%oring middle class and up scaling localities. The intersecting social geographies of the slum, middle class and up scaling

neigh%orhoods act as vital interfaces for micro entrepreneurship, especially PC %ased services. -hile the slum provides afforda%le space, rent and la%or for start up %usinesses, middle and upper class clients need and see' competitive pricing for services.

-e used a variety of 3ualitative methods li'e open ended intervie$s, %ase line surveys and o%servations of a typical 9day in the life/ of %usiness units. -e undertoo' open ended intervie$s $ith o$ners of 12 PC aided enterprises and o%servations of the shops %usiness activity in the %roader conte0t of the slum 3uarter. )ur initial field o%servations $ere conducted %et$een 8e%ruary and :uly ;22<. +et$een 8e%ruary and :une ;22=, $e re visited the field to pose %etter focused 3uestions and a more detailed data collection protocol. In the first field module, $e spo'e to five legislative officers of the local municipality to record %road delineations of history, demographics and political dynamics of the slum community. This helped understand the local history, political milieu and intricacies of the slum/s social geography. -e further assem%led data from field o%servations and intervie$s of 'ey informants (not included in the final sample of 12 respondents). These $ere individuals $ho occupy important leadership positions in the neigh%orhood $ho provided estimates of ICT ena%led %usinesses such as mo%ile phone stores, PC using %usinesses li'e photo studios, lottery sales on line commerce and VC(>(V( parlors. -e follo$ed up $ith focused e0aminations of a random selection of 12 PC using %usiness units. -e undertoo' semi structured and open ended intervie$s $ith shop o$ners to understand everyday %usiness dealings, client demands and socio %usiness net$or's. -e aimed 3uestions to understand the procurement of critical resources li'e capital, space, s'ills, employees and hard$are. -e pro%ed strategies for servicing e0isting demand and routes of e0pansion to enlarge the scope and scale of %usinesses.

&rame or's from (iterat!re Re)ie This literature revie$, %y no means comprehensive, considers e0isting $or' on three concepts $e use to organi.e data from field research: 6. ICT for development ;. ICT and small %usiness 1. "ocial conte0ts of technology use.

There still e0ists, past the IT glo%al revolution, a general %elief that the large and gro$ing role of ICTs offers possi%ilities for %usiness enhancements and social %enefits for the common man. (ilemmas that the 9digital divide/ can amplify already e0isting ine3ualities can %e addressed through effective deployment and use of technology. 4o$ does this happen? @ gro$ing %ody of $or' in ICTA( investigates information technology for developing countries and their potential to enhance livelihoods and alleviate poverty. These discourses vie$ ICTs as development tools and agent of change, prosperity and social inclusion especially for socially and economically marginali.ed populations. This vision of ICT does not go unchallenged. 7iterature has called attention to the challenges of national proBects dedicated to digital e3uality for its citi.ens (Colle and Coman, ;221& (agron ;22;). "tudies have highlighted some critical points of revie$: the perils of assuming unilateral gain from deploying technology that cannot promote community participation (4ee's, 6===& ;22;& +ailur, ;22D)& the need to e0amine long term sustaina%ility of ICT community proBects (Coman E Colle, ;22;& Furstein, ;22G)& to conduct research evaluating internal, e0ternal and conte0tual imperatives in impacting e readiness in developing countries (!olla E 7ic'er, ;22G& 4ee's, ;22G). -e propose that ICT immersions in the conte0t of the ur%an slum (our research field) devoid of state or donor driven efforts to attract technology follo$ed a locally generated, entrepreneurially driven enthusiasm for ICTs, a demand supply economic logic for ICT products and services, and in some cases, an e0pansion and regeneration of %usinesses.

*r%an slums (shanty to$ns) in India are composite and digitally stressed communication ecologies $ith little previous research focusing on issues of technology immersion. "ome 3uestions $e as' are: 4o$ do computing technologies find their $ay into these communities? -ho are the people driving technology adoption and use? 4o$ are these technologies %eing received %y the community? @lthough ICTs, particularly, PC and internet adoption sho$ a persistent per capita gro$th 6, $e o%serve they are not the preferred medium of communication, especially in information have less (Hui ;22D, ;22=) social ecologies such as the ur%an slum. -e suggest that this happens, not in the least due to the local population/s ignorance a%out the potential and possi%ilities of ICTs, %ut due to cost %arriers of adoption, technology maintenance and s'ill ac3uisition. ICT delivery in development can focus either on directly contri%uting to the assets of the poor or on supporting the activities of structures and institutions, that (uncom%e (;22I) terms as infomediaries, influencing the life chances for the poor and contri%uting to ne$ social assets. )ne such social organi.ation is the small %usiness, potential infomediaries, actively %ro'ering ICT adoption.

-or'ing definitions of micro and small enterprises (!"#s) vary across geographies and researchers ((onner ;22=). In developing countries, this has fuelled the micro entrepreneurial model $ith individuals offering services, very often semi formal in their %usiness dealings. @ typical e0ample is the multi purpose mo%ile phone store or cy%er caf5. India is increasingly an ur%an country, $ith over half a %illion people e0pected to live in to$ns and cities %y ;2;2. !ore than one fifth of the ur%an population lives in slums and in some maBor cities they account for almost half the population $ith large num%ers of migrants arriving from the countryside in search of %etter opportunities ((avis, ;22D& "arin E :ain, ;22<). !any slum d$ellers, lac'ing s'ills and capa%ilities re3uired in ne$ gro$th

areas of the formal economy, are usually a%sor%ed in lo$ paying informal sectors. "upport from family and community %ased net$or's and safety net systems (developed over generations %ac' home) are re created in the ne$ ur%an neigh%orhoods, $hat 7oughhead and !ittal (;226) 9net$or' e0ternality/. @ll these point to thriving micro enterprises in dense human ha%itats through information systems em%odied in local social net$or's. -e define our focus of study as micro and small enterprises (!"#) the %ul' of $hich %elong to the non formal sector and are deeply intert$ined in informal %usiness practices (@gar$ala, ;22G& 7ugo E "ampson, ;22<& Ilahiane E "herry, ;22<). -e %roadly use !ead and 7eidholm (6==<) seminal research for a $or'ing definition of !"#s to %e the universe of activities in enterprises engaged in non primary activities e0cluding agriculture, including manufacturing and services $here at least G2J of the output is sold and engaging any$here from 6 G2 $or'ers (including unpaid family mem%ers, $or'ing proprietors, apprentices and part time $or'ers). The authors further 3ualify !"#9s as very small: the maBority consisting of one employee $ith the upper end of the tail comprising of G2 $or'ers as possi%ly ;J of the universe of !"#9s. The maBority of !"#9s are informal %usinesses of $hich only a small minority %ear potential for e0pansion $ith most remaining small survival economies ((uncom%e E 4ee's, ;226). :ac' Hui (;22G, ;22=) discusses the inexpensive internet and mobile phone services and their close integration with everyday work and life of low-income communities in urban
China. Qui introduces the term information have-less denoting the vast migrant populations, micro-entrepreneurs and youth among others, increasingly connected by cybercaf s, prepaid services, and used mobile phones.

)ur third conceptual category is informed %y theoretical frame$or's suggesting the technological as thoroughly intert$ined $ith the social (7atour E -oolgar, 6=D=), highlighting social constructions of technology ("C)T) theory (Pinch E +iB'er, 6=<A) and the mediation of technology (!)T) theory (!ac'ay E Fillespie, 6==;). They inform the dominant vie$ of the constitution of ICT artifacts as meaningful o%Bects through acts of configuration, mediation, and active interpretation %y social actors. @ssessing diverse conte0t specific e0periences $ith technology has %een an important priority for
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gauging technology immersion supported or constrained under varied socio economic and socio technical situations. There definitely e0ists differential a%ility to use computing technologies. "tudies %y learning and media theorists such as Fee (;221& ;22A) and :en'ins (;22=) 7evy E !urnane (;22A) ma'e a compelling case for engagements $ith ne$ media per se providing vital learning e0periences. Ito et al (;22<) report on youth engaged in interest driven activities and a small minority $ho move on to deeper and sophisticated 9gee'ing out/ practices. The study also ma'es evident that access to additional technological and social resources, %eyond a simple computer and Internet account, are critical to determining $ho moves on to these more sophisticated forms of media participation. Fiven the nature of such activities, t$o types of resources are called out as instrumental in shaping learning e0periences: a) technological resources including %road%and access, relatively ne$ computers $ith graphics and multimedia capacity, digital production soft$are, and e3uipment such as digital cameras and camcorders %)social resources include a community that values and ena%les the sharing of media 'no$ledge and interests, $hich can %e found among family, friends, interest groups, or educational programs such as computer clu%s and youth media centers.

-e vie$ micro entrepreneurship as creative and adventurous ICT adopter resulting in a deeper and sophisticated engagement $ith computing devices. #ntrepreneurs surviving on the edges of

mainstream ur%an neigh%orhoods convert material and social resources into a dynamic techno human net$or' of peers and partners via %usiness interests and friendships. The follo$ing sections $ill illume the techno social ecology of small entrepreneurship $eaving a ne$ %usiness environment for ICT adoption and use in resource poor slum ha%itats. . The Research &ield

)ur research field, since 8e%ruary ;22<, is three s3 Kms of human ha%itat in $est su%ur%an !um%ai called +ehram +aug. It is inha%ited %y a heterogeneous population comprising of upper middle to lo$ income classes and a slum 3uarter. The slum 3uarter, the focus of our ethnographic research, is an assortment of small ha%itats, $ith G2,222 people and 62,222 households, arranged %y ethnic status (the 4indu population cluster %y regional>linguistic affinity, !uslims %y their su% sects, the Parsee community has gated residence) and associated %usiness activities (clusters of automo%ile repair, metal$or', hard$are, ply$ood shops all occupying specific regions of the locality). 4a%itats $ere shaped %y $aves of migrants from all over the country loo'ing for livelihoods in !um%ai. These tended to create regions $ithin the slum mar'ed %y particular ethnic identity of migrants and usually, a specific %usiness activity. There is, to this day, a constant tric'le of migrant persons and a spot chec' $ithin a sample of randomly selected households found that around 12J of the households have an earning mem%er sending money to home>families in native villages and to$ns. +roadly spea'ing, %usinesses are small scale and spread across the neigh%orhood. The t$o arterial roads %ordering the slum 3uarter, are filled $ith a plethora of shops selling a diverse variety of goods and services. The t$o roads lead into the city high$ays housing upscale residential and office %uildings and t$o upscale malls and multiple0 cinemas. The myriad %y lanes %ranching off in$ards from the arterial roads house innumera%le tiny and diverse enterprises. The average income per person in this locality is estimated to %e around Cs.1, 222 to Cs.A, 222 per month. @rgua%ly, the slum 3uarter houses around ;2 PC assem%ling and repairing units, 6D on line agents mostly engaged in on line rail$ay tic'eting and utility e %ill payments, and 622L mo%ile phone stores, some selling small re charge coupons to those selling handsets and accessories and around G2J of them graduating to hard$are>soft$are repairing and servicing units.

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&indings -e profiled a total of 12 PC aided micro enterprises in +ehram +aug (see Ta%le 6). In terms of primary %usiness these may %e classified into four categories: a) Purely PC related %usiness service nodes, including enterprises such as cy%er cafes (6), PC assem%ly enterprises (G), %) Computer s'ill training enterprises (1), c) PC aided services such on line agency for tic'eting>%ill payments (D), mo%ile phone handset repair and soft$are servicing(<), d) PC %ased services li'e Photo studio (1), lottery tic'ets (1).-e o%served that enterprises often move %et$een and com%ine services %ased on factors li'e s'ills, resources and mar'et demands. 8or e0ample, a general store %egan a mo%ile phone re charge service moving to selling handsets, accessories and repair services phasing out the original %usiness. "imilarly, several mo%ile re charge start ups among the 622L graduated to stoc'ing the entire range of mo%ile re charge options, handsets, accessories and hard$are repair. -e $ill tal' a%out this transformation in the follo$ing sections. 4o$ever, $e focus on micro entrepreneurship, not as a simple assimilation of technology for aiding %usiness, %ut as a creative and adventurous venture, attracting technology and dis%ursing appropriate services for effective consumer adoption and use. In this section $e $ill highlight the findings supported %y ethnographic data on the functioning of PC aided small %usinesses in three parts a) procuring and re cycling limited %usiness resources, or , making do, %) servicing demand, c) self s'illing practices.

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The making do in the business of PC aided enterprises !ost shops $or' $ith infrastructural and procedural %arriers through techni3ues of 9ma'ing do/. ; The slum offers strategic space to %egin small %usiness, as PC assem%ler Cavi said MN when my brother was thinking of starting this business his friend suggested him this place . affordably cheap when it comes to shop rent and considering the fact that it hugs arterial roads on both sidesand the proximity to upscale middle to upper income residential localities... Cavi set up his assem%ling unit in a more afforda%le small %y lane a$ay from the main road dissecting the slum 3uarter, MN Actually my shop hardly attracts any clients because of its location I make pamphlets and banners, sometimes drop them house to house along with the newspapers papers I send my boys in the night to paste banners at main market places and it actually attracts clients for me. I normally get calls on my mobile phone and then I go to their offices and residences and do trouble shooting... Cavi balances the relative loss of his store/s physical visi%ility through his e0pansive interpersonal neigh%orhood net$or's that at times spans to the $ider geography of !um%ai. -ith inflated land prices, access to afforda%le resources and cheap real estate are foundational to a %usiness start up. In +ehram +aug, %usiness partnering %ecomes the %asis of garnering financial, spatial and s'illing resources. #ven a noo' or a cranny of the slum offers initial space to set shop. )ne third of the shops in our sample had e0panded from other unrelated %usinesses to PC aided %usiness $ithin the same shop space. "ahil, ;I, ran a garage that transformed into a telecom servicing centre once I had the space e erything followed I used the garage space to open a public call office mo ing to mobile phone recharge coupons and accessories and now on-line trading after I got my !" then came other computer accessories like the colour printer and scanner and #erox machine

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"ince formal supply chains for ICTs choose not to enter slum ha%itats for their association $ith non formal (therefore ill legal) %usiness milieu, social net$or's evolve to penetrate and procure hard$are in the !um%ai/s e0pansive 9gray/ electronics mar'et. @s @shish, $ho services PCs, said MN we cannot place bulk orders (for replacing parts of a damaged product) due to our tiny scale of operations and place specific orders through our contacts. $y friend%s cousin is working in the gray market downtown and we &ust need to call him up to place our specific order and we get the stuff by the night or a day after Client relationships often e0pand to mutually meaningful %usiness opportunities. @rman, $ho runs a small computer training institute called 9!a0tech/, saidN I am born and brought up in 'ehram 'aug so I know a lot of people and I ha e friends who know a lot of other people and they &ust let their friends and relati es know about my institute. I tell all my students to get their friends here. (o this way I build my contacts "hari3, $ho handles PC assem%ling and servicing for a net$or' of clients added $y business partnership is founded long term friendshipI ha e this friend who helps me with the work and I ha e another friend who helps me with pro iding the assembled !"s. )e would go to the wholesale market assemble a !" and then would go and install at my clients place. Profit margins %eing tiny, the PC assem%ling %usinessmen are acutely alert a%out impacts of economies of scale. "hoe%, "hari3/s childhood friend $ho assem%les PCs for him, said that they $ould rather sell A2 units $ith lesser margins than sell 62 $ith high margins. These socio %usiness strategies e0pand human net$or's for future client %ased operations.

#nterprises ma'e do even $ith legal issues they confront in their daily %usiness operations.

@lmost

all of our entrepreneur su%Bects admitted to varying levels of informal %illing, accounting practices and grey mar'et hard$are and the conse3uent threats posed %y the state policing of digital la$s and cy%er crime. @ cy%er caf5 o$ner, @min, stated MN. we ha e installed these ""*+s in the entrance

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and there are two cameras recording customers entering the caf,. In 'eeping $ith statutory re3uirements to maintain user records, @min maintains a regular note %oo' (not digital) and client logs $hich are essentially photocopies of client photo I(s. 4e added (o we are doing all these &ust to be safe from the police and we don%t want to scare away the customer either.

The e0isting informality of small %usinesses is accentuated %y rampant piracy and gray mar'eteering in ICT products and services. The nature of the interface %et$een formal and non formal frame$or's of enterprise is thus an inevita%le, unsta%le and negotia%le one.

It is significant that shops that need PCs as critical hard$are, li'e computer s'ill training institutes, source them from $ithin +ehram +aug. Pra'ash, $ho runs a tiny institute $ith A PCs and G2L students said M... I purchase all these computers second hand from !enguin cyber caf, All are !entium-- model. I used to go to the !enguin computer centre for browsing internet. (o I came to know that they also sell second hand computer. *he prices range from ./// to 01,/// depending upon the configuration and physical condition. 'eing neighbors they &ust hop o er to trouble shoot 9!a'ing do/ practices envelop almost the entire gamut of %usiness practices from sourcing space to sourcing hard$are, la%or and s'ills.

The PC-aided Service Node The last t$o years in +ehram +aug has seen a flurry of ne$ PC aided services, digital upgrading of conventional ones and ne$ ventures including hard$are repairing of mo%ile handsets, PC assem%ling and computer training institutes. *pgrading is most visi%le in digital photo studios and cy%er cafes.

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"hop o$ners dou%led up as on line agents to tap the recent demand for ne$ 'inds of internet ena%led services li'e electricity %ill payments, on line rail$ay tic'eting and mo%ile phone servicing. These $ere tied to the demand for used or second hand mo%ile phones, assem%led PCs and maintaining handsets and PCs. -e e0amine some e0amples of the running of these services to highlight t$o simultaneous movements: the specific %usiness practice transformations they activate and the socio technical ecology they 'indle

7ocal need for government run e services and authori.ed travel agents, spurred %y the high concentration of household and migrant population $ithin +ehram +aug, is effectively tapped %y online tic'eting agents. 8or the small entrepreneur, this entails formal tie ups $ith authori.ed agencies $hile still operating from their largely informal %usiness universe. These ne$ lin'ages guaranteed ease of entry and allo$ed to reap the %enefits of the larger $orld of PC %ased %usiness allo$ing the entrepreneur a critical presence in the more formali.ed %usiness universe. 8or "ushil,, starting an on line agency meant having the formal authori.ation to issue tic'ets, and the a%ility to transact, al%eit partially, in a transparent formal economy. It also opened up ne$ %usiness channels, MNI paid them (ITO Cash Card, a +;+ online payment instrument) 2s.13,/// to get a license 4to carry out e-ticketing5.After 6 years you get back 2s.0/,/// and we get an e-token and you get a license authori7ed by the railways to pro ide railways e-tickets. .. I mo ed to 8xygen (another payment tool), which pro ided credit cards and credit coupons and mobile recharges 4e is currently e0panding from e tic'eting to other travel related services li'e ta0is, visa, passport, air travel and hotel %oo'ing. -hile he deepened his local client %ase through pamphlets and hoardings, he scaled up his %usiness further %y listing his service $ith a local +;+ and +;C search engine called 9ust:ial.

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These small PC aided ventures not only esta%lish the local glo%al net$or' through these internet ena%led services, %ut also provide the entry point for first hand internet access into the community. The %usiness of the cy%er caf5 and computer assem%ling also dra$ a significant mar'et from the residential comple0es and the %usiness 3uarter %ordering the slum. )ver a short period of time, they, evolve into PC %ased service nodes. *sers see' these spaces to fulfill communication re3uirements and entertainment: popular services include email, I! and gaming. "mall %usinesses in and around loo' to these centers as communication hu%s or as e0tensions of their o$n administrative functions: !enguin "yber "af,, +ehram +aug/s first, and no$ the largest $ith 6; PCs among the 1 cy%er caf5s in the slum 3uarter, $as esta%lished in 6=== as a computer assem%ling unit $ith ; PCs eventually evolving into a caf5. @min, o$ner of Penguin, %elieved that one third of his clientele in the local cy%er cafes is from the slum section MN I ha e a mixed clientele small businessmen working from home, they do not ha e scanning machines or a !" and need internet to check mail (o we can say 1/; customers are such who come for their work, like either emailing, taking printouts or scanning, -/ ; either to check mail or chatting and the rest -/; of the customers come here only for entertainment... 6/--/; of the customers who isit my "af, regularly are self-employed businessmen, sales guysand they come check mail, download <xcel sheets and work on them and take print-outs etc Penguin also dou%les up as a service point for PC s'ill ac3uisition. @min said MN. if people don%t know how to check email l, they come here and find out. *hey mostly ask my boys here to type for them, like some come with bio data, some with bills, and some with =uotations... @nother very popular %usiness in this caf5 is VoIP for international calls. @min had a separate glass enclosure for this purpose: this %usiness is popular to the e0tent of posing serious challenges, and competitive pricing $ith neigh%oring pu%lic call office %ooths and other cy%er caf5s.

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Thus the cy%er caf5 introduced %oth the PC and the internet into the neigh%orhood/s communication landscape. They also provide the earliest visions of the PC ena%led universe P one that lays the foundation for entry of PCs into homes and enrollment in computer classes. PC aided entrepreneurs hinge their gro$th traBectories on these visions: "hari3, the multi service shop o$ner, stated MN. I am planning to get this wireless de ice, like a hub kind of a thing and supply my clients with that hub and pro ide wireless internet in 'ehram 'aug.>e ha e buildings all around who will pay for internet that is steady and reasonably fast. I can e en gi e them =uick ser ice. I may not get numbers initially but the impact of this business is un=uestionable. I ha e to think ahead

Local Structures of lo -cost skill ac!uisition -e define PC related s'ills %roadly: it can range from formal training in a computer training institute, apprenticeships at PC aided %usinesses and hands on learning %y the entrepreneur. "'ills may also %e ac3uired %y sheer pro0imity and everyday e0posure to a PC %y a shop o$ner $ho ventures to do %uy a PC first and learn the %usiness aiding s'ill ne0t. ,adim, a mo%ile hard$are repairer said MN *he thing about these technologies is it can be learnt on the &ob with no need to spend on training. I can teach my friend all that I know and can loop him in as business-partner. Actually anyone with curiosity to learn can do so with little money. It also draws on and strengthens socio-technical tie. Kamlesh, another PC assem%ler added MN this friend of mine who helps me in getting the !"s for my clients stays in the same building and we are good friends and this is another good friend of mine who stays &ust abo e our flat. I know him since one year and he helps me in the e-ticketing thinghe is &ust a student of '(c I* so he has the knowledge about computers and he helps me assemble !"s Perhaps the most aggressive users of PC are the "olgar %rothers $ho, along $ith their grocery

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store, run a plethora of services including online tic'eting, online %ill payment, and mo%ile phone recharging, all through a PC,: M?one of us ha e done any kind of computer course, we &ust learnt using a !" once we had it in our shop, and I ha e helped them learn something or the other.

The slum 3uarter is $itnessing a small scale eruption of computer training institutes (argua%ly D ) in the last year or so, a testament to the impact of the IT s'ill sector and associated aspirations of social mo%ility Prospective students in the training centers see' s'ills to gain a toehold $ithin India/s %ooming service sector industries. These include courses ranging from %asic s'ills li'e $ord processing and data entry to more advanced areas li'e graphic design, animation and hard$are assem%ly. Training institute enrolments range as high as 6G2 students $ith < or more PCs to less than G2 students and ; PC units. The slum ha%itat offers uni3ue opportunities& real estate is either family o$ned or rented at prices almost unafforda%le in other mainstream commercial spaces in !um%ai& a human pool of s'illed tutors sourced from $ithin and adBacent neigh%orhoods& The training institutes are the result of successful harnessing of a set of trained s'ills com%ined $ith local and sometimes trans local net$or' of socio technical resources. +esides the generali.ed demand for PC %ased s'ills from the slum, the neigh%orhood has a high concentration of educational institutions ranging from municipal state run schools to private and community %ased schools. There are also a large num%er of 9tuition/ classes and coaching centers dra$ing students from all over the northern su%ur% of !um%ai. #ntrepreneurs have %een 3uic' to see potential here. @rman, $ho runs the %iggest institute $ith 62 PC and 6G2L students stated I ha e tie-ups with the numerous local coaching classes I pay them a commission on getting me a student @ 0/; of the course fees which that student opts for I offer ery attracti e summer fee rebates. I also ha e gender-segregated classes for the conser ati e communities in the neighborhoodNQ Institute o$ners usually had formal training and a fe$ had

18

taught at a computer class they trained in. Pra'ash $ho runs a smaller unit, said MN *here are thousands of computer training institute in $umbai. (o getting an instructor &ob is not difficult. And if you ha e teaching experience, you will automatically get offers from them through their networking.>hen I was teaching in the computer centre I knew many people in this profession. I got some idea from them. (ome of my old friends are successfully running their computer centre. (o I get an o erall idea from them how to start and run the computer centre. ?ew software or program I generally get from my friends. I ha e many friends in same field and profession so anything I want like Anti irus or any new tool or language I approach them

)ften, certificates of completion a$arded %y these institutions are not recogni.ed %y large employers li'e the government or corporate sectors. -hile the institutes aspire for certification, alternatives to accessing vital resources %y persisting in the non formal sector $ere e0tremely difficult to replace. They $or' around this lac' of formal visi%ility %y offering student placement services via social net$or's and 'no$ ho$ for independent ventures li'e hard$are assem%ly or PC maintenance. The computer centers point to the potential to incu%ate future PC aided %usinesses %y offering primary net$or' formations among current and former students and teachers.

-e thus find ICT aided microenterprises an organic assem%lage of capital and s'illing resources. They com%ine entrepreneurial intuition to harness multiple formal and non formal routes to ac3uire %usiness and technical s'ills and partners. In the ne0t section $e discuss the entry, maintenance and e0pansion of ICT related %usiness descri%ed in the earlier sections.

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Disc!ssion "e-c#cling hard are and skill building resources PC aided services offer afforda%le technology, ne$ and re cycled, %y a) plugging into retail net$or's %) see'ing routes of self s'illing. The slum is %oth a node in the larger non formal net$or' of PC aided %usinesses, as $ell as a site that aspires for and is slo$ly sta'ing claims to the larger formal service economy of city. This t$o pronged character offers a rich site for entrepreneurs& they dra$ on the non formal net$or' for enterprise esta%lishment and survival, and dip into the small army of trained personnel that populate entry level formal service sector Bo%s and the formal and non formal PC enterprises. @s the computer institute entrepreneur @rman said MN here there is a lot of chance of growth. <arlier in the computer institute I was getting a fixed salary of A/// per month. ?ow I feel like a small entrepreneur and 4profit5 depends on the business

The slum provides a site for %usiness incu%ation offering cheap capital recourses and reserves of s'illed personnel. These are supported %y lin'ages crisscrossing the neigh%orhood and spilling into the unorgani.ed sectors of the metropolis. The latter is a mi0ture of family, friends, colleagues, classmates, and old %usiness lin's across !um%ai P from the %usiness districts do$nto$n to outer su%ur%an fringes of the city. @t the centre are the small entrepreneurs, the more enterprising ones controlling the mesh of %usiness lin'ages, managing routes of %usiness inception and gro$th. They essentially re route and rearrange various forms of %usiness capital sourced from various nodes for via%ility and local servicing. !uch of the hard$are are procured from used (or popularly 'no$n as second hand) e3uipment& %randed and un%randed products procured from 'no$n routes are recycled for local demand and constantly serviced for longer usages. !udassar $ho %egan repairing $atches moved to repairing mo%ile phones. 4e said Mpro%a%ly my s'ill $ith devices helpedN I am very much

20

into a rotating mar'et of used hand setsN I get clients $ho %uy these %ut I also %uy used mo%iles so that I can remove healthy parts and use them to service dead onesN I am constantly in touch $ith clients $ho come to %uy, sell and service phones N sometimes I outsource repair $or' that I cannot ta'e up to my contacts in do$nto$n..Q

"'ills are also re cycled. !any shop o$ners train> transfer simple to comple0 s'ills to employee apprentices (M%oysQ as they call them). 8ollo$ing Ito/s set of 9smart, different, or creative/ humans $ho 9mess around or gee' out/, they essentially find and follo$ a personal net$or' of peers and partners via friendships and %usiness interests and M%egin to ta'e an interest in and focus on the $or'ings and content of the technology and media themselves, tin'ering, e0ploring, and e0tending their understandingQ (Ito et al ;22< pp: 6;)

Thus, despite its perceived resource poverty, +ehram +aug is a rich entrepreneurial space supporting a variety of microenterprises $ith the PC aided %usinesses at the cusp of the formal informal %ifurcation. !ost of these enterprises dra$ from the non formal economy of the slum and the metropolis employing family and ac3uaintance net$or's, see'ing optimal deals availa%le in the mar'et and e0ploring routes to ac3uire %usiness 'no$ ho$ and associated s'ill sets. They also see' selective visi%ility $ithin the formal economy for its incentives li'e reduced police harassment, access to ne$ adverti.ing media and %usiness certification.

$%panding $nterprise -hile some PC aided enterprises e0pand others remain stagnant. -e o%served that enterprises gravitating to$ards ac3uiring more comple0 computer %ased s'ills, such as repairing and servicing,

21

and training institutes evolved into small %ut locally impacting

consumer servicing nodes,

employment and s'ill learning centers. The %usiness of on line agencies is usually attached to e0isting %usiness (A out of D in our sample) and sho$ed limited e0pansion potential for gaining comple0 computer s'ills or e0panding PC %ased services. 4o$ever several mundane %ut critical needs of the population li'e rail$ay tic'eting and %ill payments %ecame electronic, relia%le, time saving and efficient introducing formal and legitimate partnerships into %usiness practices. +usiness such as the digital photo studio and lottery sales had further limitations to e0pansion. Photo studios re3uired image editing s'ills and offered s'illing opportunities $hile lottery stores restricted PC usages to customi.ed soft$are for selling and managing the lottery %usiness. ,one of the o$ners graduated to %etter PC s'ills or sho$ed an interest in venturing into ICT driven services.

"'ills and resources in PC assem%ly are often the stepping stone to other PC aided %usinesses. #ntrepreneurs $ere either formally s'illed in hard$are or soft$are assem%ly s'ills, had apprenticed $ith a unit in the past, or had developed interpersonal relationships $ith computer trained individuals. These s'ills provided easy and economically sound means to maintain machines used for %usiness and in other cases helped transform into independent assem%ling units. )nce esta%lished, the enterprises incu%ated more local units supporting s'illing, and %usiness e0pansion. The s'ills of PC assem%ly is also seen as a good training ground to delve deeper into ris'ier and large scale PC aided %usinesses li'e cy%er caf5s and computer learning institutes. (isadvantages and challenges posed %y the lac' of access to state accreditation is often made up %y loo'ing for resource and %usiness opportunities $ith large private +;+ players in the ICT industry. +usiness up scaling is sought through %uilding lin'ages $ith larger private ventures that see' local partners for PC %ased services. Ventures li'e tic'eting agencies and payment collection services loo' for small scale partners $ho

22

can penetrate local mar'ets. The small PC using entrepreneur has %een 3uic' to identify and e0ploit this %usiness model

Concl!sion

#ntrepreneurial practices descri%ed a%ove indicate firstly, the presence of a significant demand from a local consumer %ase for ICTs $ithin a presumed resource poor populations and neigh%oring middle class populations. "econd, they 3uestion notions of ICT enterprises as cost heavy ventures %y circumventing costs and $or'ing around availa%le resources. Third, they challenge the notion of 9resource poverty/ $ithin developing spaces displaying adoption and s'illing e0pansion in constrained technical environments.

The PC aided %usiness and its patterns of gro$th, %oth as a service node and in the %urgeoning computer training classes, point to$ards aspirations of %oth a gro$ing ur%an %ottom of the social pyramid consumer and the micro entrepreneur $ho is 3uic' to tap this demand and is 'een to mar' a presence %y harnessing opportunities in a glo%ali.ing economy. @spirations to gain a toe hold in the %ooming Indian IT sector is reflected in the adoption of PC ena%led formats for everyday %usinesses li'e mo%ile phone recharges, tic'eting and %ill payment. Innovative entrepreneurs press into service e0isting social net$or's, indentify and nature ne$ ones to support PC %ased enterprises looping formally and informally trained individuals, tying up $ith other %usinesses li'e hard$are assem%ly, cy%er caf5 and training institutes and identifying routes for outsourcing s'ills. This rich %usiness

23

net$or' is also a point of access to !um%ai/s larger informal PC %ased trade. This offers a model of technology entry that is self driven, organic and thus sustaina%le. "ince these enterprises are %uilt around popular service demands, %oth entrepreneurs and end consumers are active sta'eholders in the success of ICTs $ithin the community. !icroenterprises %ecome not Bust a delivery point for ICT %ased services %ut an entry point for other more sophisticated technologies.

This model of ICT immersion does not rely on heavy entry level costs, prohi%itive maintenance routines or sophisticated s'ills: it addresses these challenges through simpler practices li'e resource recycling and informal routes of s'ill transfer. Community %uy in and the meshing of interpersonal and commercial lin'ages ensure the motivation to$ards sustaina%ility. @ddressing multiple issues of sustaina%ility and participation, it generates significant impacts in areas of livelihood, employment and access to glo%al economic and technological opportunities.

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Ta#le * : Profiles of PC-aided enterprises

Ow ner #
! % 2 3 ( , 6 0 !/ !! !% !!2 !3 !( !, !6 !0 %/ %! %% %%2 %3 %( %, %6 %0 -/

Main BIZ
"ra#e agenc$ PC assem+ ing .otter$ sa es C$+er ca'e .otter$ +usiness .otter$ +usiness On) ine agenc$ On) ine agenc$ Medica store On) ine agenc$ C4 store On) ine agenc$ PC assem+ ing PC Ser#icing PC assem+ ing Mo+i e phone repair Mo+i e phone repair Mo+i e phone repair PC ser#icing Mo+i e phone repair Photo studio Photo studio Photo studio Mo+i e phone repair Mo+i e down oads Computer training Computer training Computer training Super Market

Age
%! %, -/ -0 %23 -3 %2 -2 %( %%( %0 !0 ) %/ %6 ) 23 -0 %% !0 -% %, -/ ) -/ ) %,

Education/Computer training
&igh Schoo / Certi'ied and peer earning &igh Schoo / Certi'ied and peer earning 0th grade/on the 1o+ &igh schoo /certi'ied and peer earning/on the 1o+ Midd e schoo !/th grade/on the 1o+ !/th grade/ earnt 'orma $ trained +rother !/ grade/on the 1o+ &igh schoo /on the 1o+ 6th grade/ earnt 'rom +rother who earnt 'rom peers !/ grade/certi'ied training &igh schoo /apprenticeship &igh schoo /certi'ied8apprenticeship &igh schoo /apprenticeship &igh schoo /certi'ied8 peer earning &igh schoo /certi'ied8peer earning 3th grade/peer earning apprenticeship !/ grade/apprenticeship/on the 1o+ Engineering graduate/certi'ied training !/th grade/certi'ied training :resher engineering student/peer earning/on the 1o+ Sophomore engineering student/peer earning/on the 1o+ !/ grade/apprenticeship/on the 1o+ !/ grade/apprenticeship/on the 1o+ Peer earning &igh schoo /certi'ied8peer earning &igh Schoo /certi'ied on)the)1o+ &igh schoo /certi'ied/apprenticeships &igh schoo /on)the )1o+
th th th th

PCs
( % !( ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ) ) ) ! ! ) ) ! ! ! ! ! ( 2 0 -

Attached Biz
On) ine agenc$* ticketing* passport* +i pa$ment* PC assem+ ing PCs Ser#icing Mo+i e re)charge PC ser#icing none 4ri#es a ta5i "icketing* +i pa$ment* mo+i e re) charge* accessories "icketing* +i ing* mo+i e re)charge* accessories* 7ero5* scanning "icketing* +i pa$ment* mo+i e re) 'i s "icketing* +i pa$ment* mo+i e re) 'i s* scanning* photo cop$ing "icketing* +i pa$ment* mo+i e re) 'i s* scanning* photo cop$ing* "icketing PC ser#icing ) PC ser#icing Mo+i e repair hardware/so'tware Mo+i e 9e)'i s* accessories Mo+i e repair hardware/so'tware 9e) 'i s* accessories Mother +oard repair Mo+i e repair hardware/so'tware* 9e) 'i s* accessories* te ephone +ooth Photo/#ideo shots/image editing/ Photo/#ideo shots/image editing/ Photo/#ideo shots/image editing/ 9e'i * accessories* watch repair 9e'i * accessories* gi't items Computer training/PC assem+ ing Computer training Computer training 4epartment store

Ski
PC &ardware/we+ design PC &ardware +asic &ardware/+asic +asic +asic +asic +asic +asic +asic +asic +asic PC Assem+ ing/hardwa re Assem+ ing/hardwa re PC hardware Mo+i e hardware/so'tware Mo+i e hardware/so'tware Mo+i e hardware PC hardware Mo+i e hardware Image/photo editing Image/photo editing Image/photo editing/+asic Mo+i e hardware Mo+i e down oads Basic* Accounting* hardware Basic* Accounting* printing* ;e+ designing Basic* accounting* programming Business/ Accounting so'tware

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!anagement, *niversity of !anchester, !anchester). Cetrieved 12 )cto%er ;22= from, http:>>unpan6.un.org>intradoc>groups>pu%lic>documents>nispacee>unpan26GGAA.pdf Hiu, :. 7. !"##$, The accidental accomplishment of little smartC Enderstanding the emergence of a working-class I"*, ,e$ !edia + "ociety, - ./0 =21--12 Hiu, :.7 (;22=) >orking-class network societyC communication technology and the information ha e-less in urban "hina. Cambridge% &'( )ress. "arin, @. E :ain. C. (;22<) A (ur ey of Esage of $obile in !oor Erban Areas (The Vodafone Pu%lic Policy series, Vodafone Froup Plc)Cetrieved on :uly 6G, ;22= from http:>>$$$.vodafone.com>etc>mediali%>pu%licUpolicyUseries.Par.GIGD;.8ile.dat>pu%licUp olicyUseriesU=.pdf -arschauer, !. (;221) *echnology and social InclusionC rethinking the digital di ide. Cam%ridge: !IT Press.

8ootnotes
. -e use the term 9s'illing/ to suggest the process of ac3uiring 'no$ ho$ in the use of technology. In this

paper it refers to s'ills related to PC assem%ling, trou%le shooting, repairing mo%ile phone hard$are and formatting soft$are .
2

. @round G2J of computer literates in India live in the top A metros. +et$een ;222 and ;22= Internet users

have gro$n from A.= to IG million and %road %and su%scri%ers from Oero to 1 million http:>>$$$.mediamughals.com>docs>research>;22< 2=UITU@nnualUrevie$..pdf

1.

-e use this term apropos (e Certeau (7ee ;222) in the creative and optimal use of availa%le (and constrained) resources and forms of activity to fulfill tas's.

28