NickNeg signs up Libya for 1.2 million 2B1 laptops

Now it's really on. Sure, plenty of countries have expressed interest, and Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, and Thailand have all tentatively agreed to snap up 1 million laptops each, but Libya has just reached an agreement with the OLPC foundation to lay down $250 million for 1.2 million of the cute little 2B1 units -- one for every schoolchild in Libya. That price also includes one server per school, a team of tech advisers to help with setup, satellite internet and other infrastructure to help make the laptops more than attractive paperweights. In Negroponte's talks with Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, there were also mentions of Libya financing laptop purchases in poorer African nations such as Chad, Niger and Rwanda. Sounds like a big win for team OLPC, and Libya just might become the first nation in the world to have all its school-age children hooked up to the internets on educational computers, according to Nick, though the rollout is targeted for completion by June 2008, and a lot can happen in two years.

[Via Smart Mobs]