Phones for the Poor

This article from the Daily Times of Pakistan focuses on mobile telephone use among developing countries.

According to the author, the potential development implications of increased access to communications products being made available in economically poor countries "can be vital for a range of social development processes." Using examples from Africa and South Asia, the article shows that the "growing profusion of cell phones can have a direct impact on the lives of [economically] poor people," for example, changing the lives of economically poor women whose personal mobility is constrained by socio-cultural barriers.

Looking to the future, the spread of telecommunication facilities can widen the scope of access to information. Costs may decrease as telephone service providers grow and cell phone technology introduces a less costly single-chip mobile phone. Government policies can support a favourable business environment for technology expansion. For example, "companies are lobbying for tax breaks on low-cost mobile phones, arguing that the product is no longer a luxury item. The right to information is, after all, recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

The author points to utility and income-generating employment as the reasons for the fast proliferation of cell phone use. "Used commercially, they can create a self-employment opportunity for those who can afford to buy them." However, access is far from universal and most critically missing in rural areas of developing countries, resulting in "a significant divide between people who have access to means of communication and those who do not."

In describing projects to alleviate this digital divide, the author cites the example of the telecommunications strategy of the Grameen Bank, which provides marginalised segments of the population a chance to invest in a product for which there is a demand in the country: the opportunity to use a cell phone. "Such an approach is vital for development and poverty alleviation," according to the author.

In conclusion, the author states that there is need for more innovative approaches which are relevant to the needs of the economically poor and that "although there is an identifiable niche for utilising telecommunications for development," providers and governments need an "integrated approach going beyond simply providing cheaper phones to [economically] poorer people."