As an experiment, the researchers set up a spare computer terminal with Internet access in their Bangalore office and allowed low-wage workers, such as cleaning staff, to access it freely during their off-hours.
Many of the workers previously had little or no computer training began surfing the Internet, setting up e-mail accounts and joining social networking sites. And along the way, they tried to help each other.
The researchers reported that "broad gains were seen in confidence, self-esteem, and basic digital literacy, while a few individuals experienced improvements in second-language (English) proficiency and career opportunities."
"We conducted the study in a city office," Aishwarya Ratan, one of the researchers working on the project, . "The support staff that work there -- housekeepers, security guards, drivers -- have incomes as low as US$100 a month, and despite the fact that they work next to computers all day, never have a chance to interact with them."
Individuals taught one another what they had figured out about e-mail and accessing videos on the Web. After several months, individuals were doing more complex tasks, such as setting up personal accounts on Orkut.
The Microsoft project, called Kelsa+, is inspired by the by Sugata Mitra, who heads research and development at NIIT, a computer software and training company in New Delhi India.
Mitra set up an Internet console outside his office, which faces a slum, as an experiment. He gave no further instructions. Within a day, slum children who had never used a computer before had figured out how to point, click and browse the Internet.
The Microsoft researchers hope to continue their research and see Kelsa+ grow into a program that offers free, unrestricted access to Internet-connected PCs for low-income office workers in developing countries. It is, they believe, a simple and inexpensive way to help bridge the digital divide.