Intel offers Saudi Arabia a boost in WiMax and E-learning
In exchange for 100 camels
SAUDI ARABIA WAS THE first stop on Intel Chairman, Craig Barret’s whistle-stop tour of the Middle East’s Gulf States, which kicked off yesterday. On his travels, Barret is purportedly offering Intel’s technical support to build up the region’s high speed, wireless WiMax technology, and pilot projects aimed at e-learning in Saudi Arabian schools.
Under the auspices of his role as chairman of a United Nations panel on technology and also as an emissary of the Intel World Ahead Program, Barrett will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, in what Intel calls a “global initiative” which “strives to improve education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and government services by accelerating access to computers, connectivity and localized Internet content”. What Intel thinks about recent reports of honour killings and religious rants by Saudi clerics on social networking sites and easier online access to “immoral” content by the region’s youth, is not mentioned.
What Barrett did say was that "Investments in education are important to the future, in the Arab world and around the globe." To this end, Intel said it would be launching an e-learning pilot programme, which would see schools outfitted with notebook computers and Intel-powered Classmate PCs.
As for its WiMax plans, whilst in Riyadh, Barrett signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia's telecom operator, STC and Knowledge Economic City (KEC) of Medina, to set up a fully working WiMAX network, by 2011. µ
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Comments
Intel puts Muslim girls at risk!
Oh great now Intel wants to improve internet accessibility.Don't they know that they'll be responsible for more daughters being murdered by their fathers?
Indeed
How about They offer SA better security while using the web so they don't get beaten and shot by their own family members.On the cheap.
With the current oil prices I wonder why the saudi students would need classmate PCs when they can afford macbook air's, a new one every week.I can't think
theres too much stupid stereotyping.If you're so protective
The incident of girl(s) getting murdered by their fathers in Saudi Arabia because of the internet (Just one?) is NOTHING compared to the chances of dying in a school shooting in the United States. ( ~30 shootings in the past 10 years with over a 100 dead ) . So those who think intel is going to be responsible for more girls getting killed by their fathers by improving internet accessibility in Saudi Arabia (which is pretty good already) - Do you say someone is going to be responsible for killing children when they establish a school ?A biased and superficial look to Saudi Arabia.
It has a variety like any other country and the negative remarks can apply to any other developing nation’s radical minorities.So what is the big deal if a developing country seeks to improve its infrastructure to provide better services to everyone? (~22 millions minus few bad ones this discriminating article is highlighting).
BTW, Saudis are poor and inflation rates are booming.
I am sorry to read this.