Part 3:
Directory of Networks

The information in this directory of network service providers includes: For the most part, the information provided in this directory has been reproduced as received from the network service providers. Additional requests for information should be directed to them.

Latin America and the Caribbean

A Number of other sources provide information about electronic communication networks in Latin America and the Caribbean

[Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


ARGENTINA

Wamani (Indian name: spirit of nature )
CCI-Red Wamani
Talcahuano 325-3F 1013 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel: +54-1/382 6842, 793 1502
E-mail: info@wamani.apc.org
Contact person: Carlos Alvarez (Node Director)
Number of registered users: 100
Number of active users: 60

Brief Description
Wamani is a member of the international network of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).

Services Available
It provides access to more than 150 conferences about peace, human rights, population development, education, health, environment, ecology, energy, political information, international information, regional information, women, children, and other issues of concern to the NGO community. It supports Spanish and English. International messages are delivered within three hours.

Charges
Registration for institutions:US$15-30 (1 Argentine Peso = US$1).
Monthly subscription: US$10-20.
Connect charges:US$3-4/hour if used more than 3 hours/month.
To receive messages: up to 500 Kbs/month free.

Key NGO Users
A number of NGOs use Wamani.

Additional Information
Wamani suggests you contact them before buying a modem and recommends modems with V.42bis hardware protocol. The system responds to any modem and has at its end 14,400 modems with V.42bis protocol.

Special workshops offering basic orientation about networks and the use of the Wamani system take place periodically.

[Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


BAHAMAS

COB-The College of the Bahamas
Thompson Blvd Nassau, Bahamas
Tel: +809/323 8550
Fax: +809/326 7834
E-mail: ambri@cob.edu.bs
Contact person: Barbara C. Ambrister
Number of registered users: 70
Number of active users: 25

Brief Description
No specific information is available about this network.

Services Available
It provides access to e-mail within the country and internationally. It supports communications in English and international e-mail is delivered within 12 hours.

Charges
No registration fee.
Monthly subscription: Depends on monthly volume of e-mail (up to 30,000 Kb: US$5; 60,000 Kb: US$10 and so on).
No connect charges per minute.
No charges to send or receive international messages.

Key NGO Users

Neil Sealey Nsealey

Additional Information
They suggest modems be purchased from the US. The system responds to any type of modem but they prefer 14,400 modems. They plan to make their system available to the student body via local area network shortly.

[Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


BELIZE

University College of Belize
PO Box 990 Belize City, Belize
Tel: +501-2/32732
Fax: +501-2/30255
E-mail: brian@ucb.edu.bz or brian%ucb@upr2.clu.net
Contact person: Brian Candler
Number of registered users: 22 (UUCP accounts)
Number of active users: 20 (UUCP accounts)

Brief Description
No details are available about the history of this network.

Services Available
They run a UUCP e-mail system. Users compose and read messages locally on their own system. On request, their computer polls to UCB s e-mail system to exchange mail in a short burst. If needed, twice daily, they forward Internet mail via UUCP, so international mail takes a maximum of 12 hours to reach its destination.
They currently receive only CREAD (distance education) and CDS/ISIS mailing lists.

Charges
No registration charges.
Monthly subscription: Bz$50 or US$25.
No connect charges.
To receive international messages: Bz40½/message plus Bz1½/150 bytes (about 150 characters).
To send international messages: Bz1½/133 bytes (about 133 characters).

Key NGO Users

Additional Information
They recommend purchase of modems from the US (local prices are almost double US prices). Any modem should be acceptable. They use Telebit modems and support speeds of 300-14,400bps (V32bis); 2400bps modems are the most reliable and easiest to set up, and certainly within Belize City this speed is perfectly adequate.

In certain areas (Central Farm, Toledo) connections at 9600bps may not be possible or reliable; 2400bps works country-wide, even over radio and cellular phones.

They supply e-mail software for DOS and are in the process of procuring Macintosh software.

[Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


BRAZIL

Alternex
IBASE Rua Vincente de Souza, 29 22251-070 Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Tel: +55-21/286 0348
Fax: +55-21/286 0541
E-mail: suporte@ax.apc.org
Contact person: support staff
Number of users: 1000 (approx.)

Brief Description
Alternex (http://ax.apc.org) is on its way to becoming a major Internet Access Center from its BBS services and is Brazil s main provider of non-academic access to the Internet. Alternex is a project of IBASE (the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analyses), a non-profit consultancy and research NGO. Alternex is the Brazilian member of the international network of APC and provides international connectivity to a number of networks in Brazil. A number of smaller BBSs (30+) use Alternex to channel their international e-mail traffic.

Services Available
It provides access to hundreds of conferences on human rights, women, development, hunger and other issues concerning the NGO community.

Charges
Registration charges: US$20.
Monthly subscription: US$10 minimum.
Connect charges: US$2-10 (if beyond monthly free connect time limit).

Key NGO Users
Hundreds of NGOs, community, labour groups and others use Alternex.

Additional Information
No specific information is available about modem purchase.

[Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


COLOMBIA

COLNODO
Carrera 23 No. 39-82 Bogota, Colombia
Tel: +57-1/2444696, 2697181, 2697202
Fax: +57-1/2444984
BBS: +57-1/2445246 E-mail: julian@colnodo.igc.apc.org
Contact person: Julian Casasbuenas
Number of registered users: 80-100 (approx.)
Number of active users: 40 (June 1994)

Brief Description
Colnodo is governed by the Colombian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations for Electronic Mail Communication and operated by Antenna Colombia. It is the member of the international network of APC for Colombia

Services Available
This system provides 24-hour service and can be accessed from anywhere. International e-mail takes around six hours to reach international networks. It provides access in Spanish and English.

It receives the following APC conferences:
eai.news, nacla.report, ilsa.actualida, alai.amlatina, ilsa.comercio, dh.amlatina, ilsa.trade.

The following areas may interest NGO users:
national and international events of interest for the NGO community, economics indicators, ecology, children s issues, national debt, newspaper clippings.

Charges
Registration (one-time fee): US$20.
Monthly subscription: 8.600 pesos or US$10.
Connect charges/minute: US$4 after the first hour.
No charges to send/receive messages within the country.
To receive international messages: 70 pesos or US$0.081/Kb.
To send international messages: 100 pesos or US$0.116/Kb.

Key NGO Users

Additional Information
Modems are easily accessible in Colombia. The system responds to most modems.

Colnode offers on-line access to 17 databases, most of them NGO documentation centers.

  • Newspaper Clippings
  • Documentation Centers
    Directories It plans to introduce the use of off-line e-mail readers.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

    REDID (Red Dominicana de Intercambio para el Desarollo)
    c/o FUNREDES
    BP 2972 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    Tel: +1-809/535 2422, 535 6614
    E-mail: pimienta!daniel@redid.org.do (or) cieca1!cries@redid.org.do
    Contact person: Pimienta Daniel, Pavel Isa Contreras (President)
    Number of registered users: 100 (UUCP accounts)
    Number of active users: 40 (UUCP accounts)
    Brief Description

    FUNREDES is an international NGO dedicated to disseminating of the Newer Information and Communications Technologies (NICT) in developing countries. Dominican National Network (REDID) is a project of FUNREDES.

    Services Available
    They coordinate four public listserv:
    (REDALC@frmop11.cnusc.fr, for the whole of Latin America and Caribbean; SALSA@conicit.ve for the Caribbean; KISKEYA@conicit.ve for the Dominican Republic; and HAITI-L@conicit.ve).

    The system provides 24-hour service. Average turnaround time for international messages is less than one hour. Within the country the system can be accessed using a toll-free telephone number.

    Charges
    Registration charges: About US$250/year (per institution) plus US$75 for each additional user in the institution (except if they share the same address structure in the same terminal, for example, Institution!user1@redid.org.do and Institution!user2@redid.org.do).
    Monthly subscription: 250 pesos or US$20.
    No other charges for international or national e-mail traffic.

    Key NGO Users
    Most users are NGOs from 50 member institutions.

    Additional Information
    Modems can be bought in the country but some people find they are less expensive and there is more choice in the US. A 2400bps Hayes compatible is recommended. Higher speeds are not yet supported on the user side. REDID organizes training programs on a regular basis.

    Users are provided with free, multilanguage, easy-to-use, installed software called MULBRI.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    ECUADOR

    Ecuanex
    12 de Octubre 622, of. 504 Casilla 17-12-566 Quito, Ecuador
    Tel: +593-2/528716
    Fax: +593-2/505073
    E-mail: admin@intecx.ecx.apc.org / admin@intecx.ecx.ec
    Contact person: Thomas Walsh
    Number of registered users: 155
    Number of active users: 120

    Brief Description
    Ecuanex is the member of the international network of APC from Ecuador.

    Services Available
    It provides e-mail facilities for national and international communications and access to conferences. Local conferences include discussion areas on women, human rights, indigenous people, environment, and social sciences. It also provides local access to APC conferences on women, environment, and human rights issues. It supports Spanish and English.

    Charges
    Registration (one-time fee): US$15.
    Monthly subscription: 22,000 sucres or US$10.
    No connect charges.
    To send international messages: US$0.25/Kb.
    To receive international messages: US$0.12/Kb.

    Key NGO Users
    Ecuanex is used by a number of NGOs.

    Additional Information
    Modems are available in Ecuador. Modems which support MNP error correction protocols should be purchased.

    The service offers training in use of communications software. Three half-day courses cost 40,000 sucres.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    GUATEMALA

    Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
    Apartado Postal #82 Guatemala 01901, Guatemala
    Tel: +502/269 0791 thru 1995
    E-mail: furlan@uvg.edu.gt
    Contact person:Luis R. Furlan
    Number of registered users: 100
    Number of active users: 85

    Brief Description
    This node was originally open only to the Universidad del Valle community. In July 1993 it was opened to outsiders on the condition that their line of work be academic/scientific or that it influence the country s development in a positive way.

    Services Available
    This node provides 24-hour service. International messages can take up to 24 hours to reach their destination.

    Charges
    Registration charges: US$20.
    Monthly subscription: 11.40 Quetzales (approx.) or US$2.
    Connect charges per minute: 0.57 Quetzales (approx.) or US$0.10.
    No charges to send/receive international messages.

    Key NGO Users

    Additional Information
    Modems are available locally but buying them in the US is cheaper. Any Hayes compatible modem with speeds between 300 and 19200 BPS, or Telebit s PEP protocol are acceptable.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    HAITI

    Réseau télematique haitien pour la recherche et le développement (REHRED)
    Address in Santo Domingo (as responsible for the network project):
    c/o Fundación Redes y Desarrollo (FUNREDES) BP2972 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    Tel: +1-809/535 2422, 535 6614, 535 6646
    E-mail: pimienta!daniel@redid.org.do or jansen!senaida@redid.org.do
    Contact person: Pimienta Daniel Senaida Jansen

    Address in Port-au-Prince (as member of the local committee for the creation of REHRED)
    c/o Centre de Recherche et de Formation Economique et Sociale pour le Développement (CRESFED)
    POB 15294, Petion Ville Port au Prince PAP, Republic of Haiti
    Tel: +1-509/453100, 452828, 452759
    Fax: +1-509/452099
    E-mail: cresfed@haiti.acnmiami.com
    Contact person: Gerard Pierre Charles (contact for Initiative group)
    Joanisse Domerson (in charge of CRESFED e-mail)
    Number of registered users: 5

    Brief Description
    REHRED is a network project of five NGOs working on various research issues. These NGOs have access to the Internet through ACN, a company located in Miami. ACN gives members of the Initiative Group access at cost price.

    Services Available
    REHRED provides 24-hour access to e-mail facilities. International e-mail takes a maximum 24 hours. It also provides access to a number of discussion areas. Discussion lists hosted in Venezuela are haiti-l@conicit.ve Haitien researchers and all researchers interested in Haiti worldwide.

    Charges
    No specific information is available on charges.

    Key NGO Users
    Five member institutions and other associated NGOs.

    Additional Information
    They recommend 2400bps Hayes compatible modems to access these facilities. Higher speed modems are not yet supported on the user side.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    MEXICO

    Laneta
    Tlalpan 1025, Mexico City DF, Mexico
    Tel: +52-5/277 4791
    E-mail: soporte@laneta.apc.org
    Contact person: Jaques Lefebre, Adolfo Dunayevich
    Number of registered users: 200+ (July 1994)
    Number of active users: 100 (July 1994) approx.

    Brief Description
    Laneta is the member of the international network of APC for Mexico.

    Services Available
    This system provides 24-hour service and supports Spanish and English. International messages take about two hours to reach international networks. The system can be accessed from all parts of Mexico (in batch mode).

    The following APC conferences are available locally:
    icpd.general, trade.news, panna.panups, dh.mujer, reg.mexico and susag.news.

    Areas of NGOs interest include trade (NAFTA), human rights, women, environment, Central America and refugees.

    Charges (April 1994)
    Registration: US$34.
    Monthly subscription: 50 N$ or US$17.
    No connect charges or charges to send/receive messages from either within the country or internationally.

    Key NGO Users

    Additional Information
    It is suggested that new users buy the US Robotics sportster 14,400 in the US. The same equipment in Mexico can cost twice as much.

    The system responds to any good modem, but V32bis (14,400) is the best choice. They provide a special program to get on-line free of charge.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    NICARAGUA

    NICARAO
    CRIES
    De la Iglesia El Carmen 1 cuadra al lago Managua, Nicaragua
    Tel: +505-2/283092, 281312
    E-mail: ayuda@nicarao.apc.org/support@nicarao.apc.org
    Contact person: Sergio, Lucia, Angela, Patricia
    Number of registered users: 650
    Number of active users: 500

    Brief Description
    Nicarao is the member of the international network of APC for Nicaragua.

    Services Available
    It receives a number of APC conferences:
    ips.english, ips.espanol, reg.* (one for each country in central america), reg.carib, reg.cuba, reg.latinamerica, trade.library, trade.strategy, women.events and women.labr.

    This node can be accessed from anywhere in Nicaragua and throughout Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama).

    The system is available 24 hours a day and international messages take a maximum of eight hours to reach other international networks. It supports Spanish and English. In addition to the above, APC conferences in the following key areas of discussion may interest NGOs:

    human rights: dh.mujer, dh.nicaragua, dh.panama centralamerica: cela.pancanal (CELA) reg.anuncios (CONCERTACION) libraries: biblio.centroam, cries.tabcon

    Charges
    Registration: US$25.
    Monthly subscription: US$7.50.
    Connect charge/minute: national: US$0.03; Central America and Panama: US$0.07.
    No charges to receive messages.
    To send messages: US$0.25/message, plus US$0.15/Kb.

    Key NGO Users

    Additional Information
    Modems are not easily available and should be bought in the US. Any brand of modem should be adequate. The service provides training for the use of the system using MTE; it sells modems as cost price but no software. Local Packet Switching Services support only 1200 bps but modems of up to 14,400 bps can be used by calling directly over telephone lines.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    ST. LUCIA

    Institute of Self-Improvement Systems (ISIS)
    PO Box 990 Castries, St. Lucia
    Tel: +809-452-3702, 452-5444
    Modem / Data: 809-453-7689
    E-mail: (username)@isis.org.lc
    Contact person: Albert H. Daniels
    Number of registered users: 65
    Number of active users: 45

    Brief Description
    ISIS is a private non-profit organization specializing in education and training for the development of local and regional human resources.

    Services Available
    It provides 24-hour access and international mail takes about 30 minutes to reach its destination.

    Charges
    Rates may vary based on the organizational set-up.
    Monthly subscription: 30 EC$ (single user) US$11.02

    Key NGO Users

    Additional Information
    Modems are available in St. Lucia but may be purchased at a lower cost in the US.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    URUGUAY

    Chasque
    Jackson 1136 Montevideo 11100, Uruguay
    Tel: +598-2/496192
    E-mail: apoyo@chasque.apc.org
    Contact person: Gabriel Sere
    Number of registered users: 500
    Number of active users: 300

    Brief Description
    Chasque was available as a BBS for a number of years before becoming a network connected to international networks. Chasque is the member of the international network of APC for Uruguay.

    Services Available
    It supports English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, and provides national and international e-mail services. It provides a number of APC conferences on environment, human rights, development, education, women, and NGO issues.

    Charges
    No registration charges.
    Monthly subscription: 50 pesos or US$10.
    Connect charges/minute: 0.25 pesos or US$0.05 after first hour.
    To receive international messages: US$0.05/Kb.
    To send international messages: US$0.10/Kb.

    Key NGO Users
    A number of NGOs use Chasque.

    Additional Information
    Modems are easily available and not expensive in Uruguay. Users get a communications program free.

    [Table of Contents] [Index of Latin America and the Caribbean] [Networks in Africa] [Networks in Asia Pacific]


    @t ease with email
    Copyright NGLS/UNCTAD, FES, 1995
    UNCTAD/NGLS/55
    Published by
    United Nations Non-Governmental
    Liaison Service (NGLS)

    and
    The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, New York