Invention is once again the prime virtue. But this time the tools for invention can be extended to every corner of the earth. The report recounts various novel business models and innovative approaches now in use to apply information technologies where they are most needed. It enables farmers to check the latest crop prices and helps wives maintain contact with their husbands who work overseas. These are digital community centers that give villagers access to telemedicine, the Internet and electronic trading.
Students comprise one-third of the country's population.
Argentina is home to half of the Internet start-ups in Latin America. In the process, they are preserving endangered cultures while at the same time providing them with better sources of income. The conference received support from the leading information technology companies in the United States, including such corporate sponsors as 3Com, Compaq, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, iGeneration, Intel, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Weyerhaeuser, and WorldCom. Several foundations also supported the conference. They include the AOL Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Markle Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation.