Across Brazil, South Korea, and Kerala (India), governments have stepped into digital markets to confront platform monopolies, reduce labor precarity, and prevent the loss of local economic value. These interventions have taken many forms: state-owned apps, public–cooperative hybrids, and efforts to formalize digital solidarity economies. While often launched with strong public-facing missions such as lower fees and better working conditions, many of these initiatives have struggled to achieve viability in markets shaped by network effects, rapid iteration cycles, and dependence on private cloud and payment systems.
This event examined a central policy question: under what institutional conditions can public or cooperative digital platforms achieve both economic durability and democratic governance?
SPEAKERS
Jeongone (Joh) Seo – Korea National Open University Kenzo Soares Seto – Yale University Trebor Scholz – The New School / Harvard University Ganesh Gopal – Gandhigram Rural Institute
If we could start from scratch, how might we rebuild or reimagine the internet to be more just and equitable? In her new book Radical Infrastructures: Imagining the Internet from the Ground Up, Rutgers Associate Professor Britt Paris critically examines and contextualizes the promises, utility, and obstacles to building a completely new internet. Drawing from eight years of interviews, site visits, and document and policy analysis, she examines ongoing alternative internet infrastructure projects and contrasts them with the market-driven solutions that drive the internet’s development today. in a conversation with Mizue Aizeki, executive director of the Collaborative Research Center for Resilience, moderated by D&S postdoctoral fellow Ana Carolina de Assis Nunes, Paris will reflect on the pitfalls and opportunities of existing internet infrastructure, and explore what it will take to develop and maintain a people-centered internet.
SPEAKERS Britt Paris – Associate Professor of Library and Information Science, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University Mizue Aizeki – Founder / Executive Director, Collaborative Research Center for Resilience (CRCR)
HOST / MODERATOR Ana Carolina de Assis Nunes – Postdoctoral Fellow , Trustworthy Infrastructures, Data & Society
On 8 May 2025 the Internet Society Egypt Chapter (Internet Masr ) presented the fourth in its infrastructure webinar series with a briefing session ‘The Planet Paradox: Digital Infrastructure & Environmental Responsibility‘. Ahmed Abdel-Latif explored the real-world impact of digital infrastructure on the planet we live on. As the digital economy continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, the demand for the infrastructure that powers it accelerates. While they are essential to enabling innovation, AI, cloud computing, and global industry reinvention, data centers also raise urgent questions about energy consumption, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.
SPEAKER Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MEA Digital Infrastructure Expert
On Monday 7 April 2025 at 18:00 EET (16:00 UTC) the Internet Society Egypt Chapter (Internet Masr ) presents the third in its infrastructure webinar series with a briefing session ‘Powering Up Digital Infrastructure‘. Ahmed Abdel-Latif will will explore the challenges involved in energy policy, explore the sustainability agendas of global players, highlight the renewable energy potential, and even touch on innovative use cases of nuclear energy, all in the scope of data center & AI platforms. (This event was previously scheduled for March 11 2025)
SPEAKER Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MEA Digital Infrastructure Expert
On Tuesday-Thursday 21-23 January 2025 the Internet Development Conference (IDC 2025) will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Organized by the Internet Society under the patronage of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the Internet Development Conference focuses on strengthening Internet infrastructure and regulatory frameworks within the African Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Djibouti.
08:30 Opening Session (yt | txt) H.E. Dr. Belete Molla – Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology of FDRE Dr. Asrat Mulatu – President, Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter Demos Kyriacou – Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer, Wingu Africa Dr. Emmanuel C. Manasseh, Acting Regional Director, ITU Regional Office – Africa Eng. Balcha Reba, Director General, Ethiopian Communications Authority
11:00 Digital Strategies: Hopes and Accomplishments (yt | txt) Mihret Woodmatas – Senior ICT Expert, African Union Commission Dr. Abiyot Bayou – Senior Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology of FDRE
Moderator: Dr. Dawit Bekele, Regional Vice President – Africa, Internet Society
14:00 Regulations to Connect the Unconnected (Parallel Session – Main) (yt | txt) Mavis Maunganidze – Programme Officer, ITU Regional Office- Africa Million Hailemichael – Deputy Director General Ethiopian Communications Authority Barrack Otieno – Chairman, Association of Community Networks in Kenya Joshua Mpairwe – Internet Society Uganda Chapter Rhian Duarte – Senior Manager for Public Affairs, Abrint – Brazilian Association of Internet Service Providers Erkan Satik – Director of Cloud Ecosystem & Alliances, Wingu Africa
Moderator: Robel Kitaba – Network Engineering Expert
14:00 Digitization of the Financial Sector in Ethiopia (Parallel Session – Breakout) (yt | txt) Solomon Damtew – Payment and Settlement Director, National Bank of Ethiopia Melka Girma – COO, Shega Media Beza Mamo – Director, Payment Application, EthSwitch Samrawit Fikru – CEO, Hybrid Designs PLC Seyoum Damtew – Director, Information System Security, CBE
Moderator: Dr. Beakal Gizachew – Assistant Professor, Addis Ababa University
Day 2: 22 January 2025
09:00 Internet Infrastructure Development (yt | txt) Ghislain Nkeramugaba – IXP Development Expert, Internet Society Freddy Mrema – Group Director, Enterprise Sales and Marketing, Wingu Africa Barrack Otieno – Chairman, Association of Community Networks in Kenya Dr. Carlos Rey-Moreno – Co-founder, Zenzeleni Networks Tigest Damtie – CEO, 251 Cloud
Moderator: Dr. Ephrem Teshale – Chief Technology Officer, Zergaw Cloud Service Provider
11:00 Internet Resilience and Regional Integration (yt | txt) Ben Ryall, Edge Strategy Manager, Meta Dr. Amreesh Phokeer, Internet Measurement and Data Expert, Internet Society
Moderator: Kebadu Belachew – Cloud Engineer, Fannie Mae
14:00 Bringing Africa’s Connectivity to The Next Level (Parallel Session – Main) (yt | txt) Steve Song – Senior Director, Infrastructure Mapping and Development, Internet Society Dan York – Senior Advisor, Internet Society David Belson – Head of Data Insight, Cloudflare
Moderator: Meshingo Jack – Government Digital Transformation Advisory, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
14:00 Internet in Education in Ethiopia (Parallel Session – Breakout) (yt | txt) Dr. Muluneh Atinef – ICT and Digital Education, MoE Project Coordinator, eLearning for Strengthening Higher education (eSHE) Mulugeta Assefa – Managing Director, BRDGE Yehalem Abebe – Executive Director, Partners in Education Ethiopia Prof. Meoli Kashorda – Executive Director, KENET
Moderator: Dr Fekade Getahun – Ministry of Innovation and Technology
Day 3: 23 January 2025
09:00 Changing People’s Lives Using the Internet (yt | txttxt) Chris Locke – Managing Director, Internet Society Foundation
Moderator: Yilikal Abate – President ICT-ET
09:30 Reporting of previous day sessions and discussions (yt | txt)
Rapporteur: Yohannes Fassika – ethiotelecom
Moderator: Yilikal Abate – President ICT-ET
11:00 Closing (yt | txt) Dr. Dawit Bekele – Regional VP Africa, Internet Society H.E. Dr. Yeshurun Alemayehu – State Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology, FDRE Eng. Balcha Reba – Director General, Ethiopian Communications Authority
On Monday 13 January 2025 at 18:00 EET (16:00 UTC) the Internet Society Egypt Chapter (Internet Masr) presents the second in its infrastructure webinar series with a briefing session ‘The Politics of Digital Infrastructure‘. Ahmed Abdel-Latif will delve into the politics of digital infrastructure development, exploring how these critical assets shape 21st-century global politics and competitive dynamics. While the discussion will center on Egypt and its region, the insights will naturally extend to the global context of this ever-evolving industry.
SPEAKER Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MEA Digital Infrastructure Expert
On Wednesday 30 October 2024 at 18:00 EET (15:00 UTC) the Internet Society Egypt Chapter (ISOC Egypt ) will launch a new webinar series with a briefing session ‘Digital Infrastructure, An Industry Overview‘. Ahmed Abdel-Latif will provide an introduction to the Digital Infrastructure Industry (which is the cornerstone of a modern digital economy), with the aim being to provide ISOC Egypt members with a basic understanding of the key elements of this hypergrowth industry, its enablers, its value chain, and the challenges this industry faces, and how different nations/governments are addressing those challenges. Some references to regional geopolitical factors will be made which will put those industry aspects into a competitive context.
SPEAKER Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MEA Digital Infrastructure Expert
Today, Thursday September 6 2018 the 6th annual Northeast DAS & Small Cell Association NYC Summit will take place at Convene NYC. Industry executives, providers, end-users, IT managers, network engineers, architects, vendors and more will converge to discuss forward-thinking solutions and trends in the wireless industry. The NYC Summit is designed to surround the evolving landscape of in-building wireless solutions and technologies. Through a collaborative and open environment, this event will explore solutions that will bridge the gap between the wireline and wireless technologies inherent in today’s hybrid wireless systems. The entire event will be webcast live on the Internet Society Livestream Channel 3.
Today, Thursday June 28 2018 at 7pm EDT (23:00 UTC) the Ethical Tech Meetup presents Ethics in Infrastructure: Building the Internet We Want at Thoughtworks NYC. Can renegade tech save our digital future? Would adopting the principles of decentralization end up hardening our Internet bubbles into fragmented physical infrastructure and competing reality regimes? And what would that world look like for equity in general if other stratifications continue to harden — income inequality, political polarization, predatory automation, climate injustice? Speakers: Ingrid Burrington, writer (@lifewinning); Grayson Earle, media artist (@graysonearle); Dhruv Mehrotra, artist/researcher (@DhruvMehrotra); Darshana Narayanan, neuroscientist (@dznarayanan); Houman Saberi, network builder (@rise_nyc), Moderator: Greta Byrum, Digital Equity Lab (@gretabyrum) . The event will be webcast live on the Internet Society Livestream Channel.
Today, Thursday 13 October 2016, DE-CIX will present DE-CIX Summit New York. This 21st anniversary DE-CIX Summit, which takes place simultaneously in NYC, Munich, and Istanbul, will focus on the latest developments in internetworking. In addition to a keynote from Hunter Newby, the NYC event includes presentations and panels featuring leading local Internet infrastructure movers and shakers: Cliff Kane (CEO, Cleareon); Shrihari Pandit (CEO, Stealth Communications); Ray La Chance (CEO, ZenFi); Monica Link (Editor, New York City Wired); Frank Orlowski (Console); Christian Koch (Co-Founder, NYNOG); Tony Rossabi (Managing Director, Colocation and Connectivity, Digital Realty); Phil Koblence (NYI); Ivo Ivanov (Executive Board, DE-CIX); Ilissa Miller (CEO, iMiller Public Relations). The New York Summit will be webcast live on the Internet Society Livestream Channel.
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