Cell Phones
From Wiki4dev
Contents |
Wireless
Going the last mile: what’s stopping a wireless revolution? "This media briefing from Panos gives a simple and digestable overview of the potential of wireless technologies to contribute to development, and how governments help or hinder their adoption."
Wireless as a Policy Workaround in Indonesia
A WiFi mesh network is South Africa, similar to the one Google recently launched in Mountain View, is being developed in Tshwane with the potential to drastically reduce the cost of Internet access. And the best of all, it is already live!
Rural Connectivity
A Community Informatics for the Information Society (PDF) provides a thorough overview of the issues and challenges for community informatics in developing countries from infrastructure through to participatory design and community outcomes. The author explains in some depth the need for an informatics tailored for communities in developing countries which addresses their specific circumstances and needs.
"A New Model for Rural Connectivity" work-in-progress paper: Creating a local community wireless network can be done quickly using off-the-shelf components. "The real challenge is to build enough demand to make such a network financially sustainable" argues this paper written by Al Hammond and John Paul in May 2006. To make comments, participate and meet writers please visit the next page at NextBillion. From the summary: What if the ultimate Internet access device turned out to be a phone? Yes, its already happening for a few in the rich world, but I'm talking about access for a billion people or more in the developing world, for which the driver is cost, not convenience. Despite all the efforts to spread Internet access, it is the mobile phone that has so far gone farther and faster into developing countries. Cell phone services are very profitable, but they are not cheap for users. Use of text messaging, a data service that costs less than voice, has exploded where it is available. Now three disruptive technologies working together may bridge the divide even more effectively: fixed wireless networks (WiFI and WiMax) that are optimizied for data and are cheaper than mobile wireless; Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), that uses bandwidth efficiently; and WiFi phones (or mobiles with WiFi chips added on) that can provide local "walk-around" service within a local WiFi network. This combination, described in more detail in a work-in-progress paper called A New Model for Rural Connectivity, can make local-to-local calls almost free. And phones don't require tech support or pose literacy and language barriers--other aspects of the divide. Yet they can provide a growing list of phone and voice-based Internet services. Check out our thinking, give us the benefit of your comments and criticisms, help us update the list of devices and applications that support this model. And watch for updates.
Wireless Nets and rural connectivity This paper was written by Hernan Galperin in 2004 (Format PDF / 24 pages, saved in Files). From the abstract: "Recent developments in wireless networking are raising new hopes for sustainable Internet diffusion in the rural areas of the developing world. These technologies allow drastic reductions in deployment costs, particularly for last-mile connectivity in lowdensity areas. More important, they make possible an infrastructure development model based on community-shared resources, small-scale investments, and user experimentation. This paper argues that the new generation of wireless technologies can significantly alleviate the constraints that limit Internet connectivity in Latin America to the wealthy, urbanized areas. Yet for this potential to be realized governments need to rethink current assumptions about spectrum management and universal access policies."
Cell Phones
This DFID study examines the expansion of mobile telephone networks in most low income countries. Many people, even in poor communities, now regularly make calls. But what difference do telephones make to people's lives? And are they important for development? A research project funded by the UK Department for International Development examined rural people's attitudes towards phones in India, Mozambique and Tanzania. Most people interviewed value telephones primarily for dealing with emergencies and keeping in touch with their families. They do not generally use phones for business activities, although a small proportion does value them highly for this purpose. Phones are valued more for saving money than for earning it. Very few people find them useful for gathering information.
Some Cultural appropriation of cellphones
For India's Traditional Fishermen, Cellphones Deliver a Sea Change
GrameenPhone
Village Phone - A Tool for Empowerment : By Ryan Stanley, November 2005 In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to efficiently access and share information can have dramatic implications for social and economic development. As worldwide demand for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services grows, so does the potential for these services to improve the lives of the poor. This article examines how microfinance can serve as a platform for the provision of ICTs to the rural poor. It considers how a successful microfinance product, such as Village Phone, can increase women’s empowerment and welfare.
GrameenPhone in Rwanda: "Grameen Foundation, a global non-profit organisation that combines microfinance with new technologies,launched Village Phone Rwanda last year with GSM network operator, MTN RwandaCell. This program brought affordable telephone access to rural communities in Rwanda, with the goal of creating new phone businesses by giving microfinance loans of $250 to each business operator to allow them to purchase a phone kit."
Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for their pioneering work on micro-credit lending schemes. In addition to Grameen's work on micro-credit in Bangladesh, the bank also introduced the Grameen Village Phone project, an innovative solution to extending telecommunications access to marginal customers. A LIRNEasia study last year looked at the fundamental problem of access to telecommunications, affordability, and analysed Grameen Telecom's solution. The study was entitled "An Investigation of the Replicability of a Microfinance Approach to Extending Telecommunications Access to Marginal Customers".
A LIRNEasia study last year looked at the fundamental problem of access to telecommunications, affordability, and analysed Grameen Telecom's solution. The study was entitled "An Investigation of the Replicability of a Microfinance Approach to Extending Telecommunications Access to Marginal Customers".
10M subscribers: "Grameen Phone Limited, the leading cellular company of Bangladesh, has crossed 10 million subscribers mark and the operator now hopes to double the number within a span of 15 months. The achievement coincides with the 10th anniversary of its operation."
Cells and Mobile Banking
- Mobile Banking as Aid Tool: "even in regions where electric supply and phone connections are sporadic at best, mobile handsets are seen increasingly as a tool to make peoples' daily lives easier, including providing banking abilities."
