In the New York Times article "Can the Cell phone Help End Global Poverty?", author Sara Corbett details the extent to which human-behavior researcher, Jan Chase, relies on his cell phone as he travels the world. The article is interesting in that it not only describes Chase's cell phone habits but also those of the people he encounters through his travels, primarily in developing countries. The article, as well as our class discussion on the topic, piqued my interest, so I sought out more information in regard to cell phone use in developing countries.
While searching, I came across a Techcrunch.com article titled "How the Future of Mobile Lies in the Developing World." The article was written by the co-lead of Tech Innovation for UNICEF, Erica Kochi. Kochi explains that, due to the high demand for connectivity in areas that have a limited wireless infrastructure, connectivity has turned into a commodity. The value placed on air time has given rise to a market for buying and selling air time left on prepaid phones. The selling of airtime can become an issue for some countries as state run banks lose the benefit of gaining funds that are now being channeled toward cellular service providers. This poses a catch 22 for banks as cellular connectivity also enables individuals to access financial services that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
UNICEF, realizing the possibilities for economic growth afforded by cellular phones in developing countries, has made it a mission to seek out the assistance of cellular handset developers, service providers, and software companies to come together and create cell phones and services specifically for markets where the citizens are unable to afford the luxury of owning a cell phone. Providing affordable, wide spread cellular services to enrich the lives of people living in developing countries is a lofty goal, and the fact that cellular service providers are beginning to see the chance to profit from marketing their products in those areas makes the goal much more attainable.
Hi Will
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you found this about cell phones. I am sure that you have noticed that my blog tends to focus on the negative and I like that you find the positive. But you hint at my greatest fear that access to the internet will be as expensive as access to the interstate someday. Cell phone carriers are for profit - not for the public good. How the most poverty stricken are supposed to harness this I know not.
Regarding Garth's comment, I have been wondering why the cell phones in the U.S. are so darned expensive, while 3rd world countries have access to useful devices at a fraction of the cost. Though the answer to that question ends up being, essentially supply and demand, the cost is an issue. According to a Wall Street Journal article I read, families are spending far more on phones than other luxuries, and going so far as to cutting back on spending in other areas in order to pay for data plans and phones.
ReplyDeleteI have two basic observations on this phenomenon: 1) I'm constantly amazed at the sacrifices people are willing to make in order to have connectivity, information and entertainment at their fingertips. 2) Stop the madness! In the article, regarding the family's budget, "Ms. Tuers figures that she and her husband would need to scrape together more than $1,000 to pay full price for two new high-end phones or settle for one of Verizon's tiered-data plans, which she fears would cost a lot more given her video habit." Really?! The way this woman's mind works makes me want to scream. She has a "video habit" that she doesn't want to give up, and the family would further have to cut corners just so they can have unlimited data and she can watch shows on her phone. When does our dependence on connectivity become an addiction?
Here's the article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444083304578018731890309450.html
Hey Will,
ReplyDeleteAnother great article-I thought this past week was very interesting from multiple standpoints. How we so take cell phones for granted! I think that companies that are trying to help others out through technology is really amazing. I have always looked at poverty through the eyes of agriculture and honestly never really thought much about how "normal" technology can really do.
I agree with Garth on how you found a really good point and it makes me wonder what cell phone companies are really trying to do-help or attain future business? I hope its for the best-nice job again this week!
I have found it interesting to see how the price for cell phones and internet in the US is so much more than in developing countries. This all goes back to the discussion a few weeks ago we had about frugal engineering. I agree with Amy, about the fact that supply and demand is impacting the cost in the US. People have put such high demands on cell phones and their capabilities.
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