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Mobile phones: The power to bridge the digital divide · 10 Aug 2009

One of the most amazing success stories of our time is the adoption of the mobile phone by users worldwide. In the developed world, the mobile phone is used to augment or support the laptop or PC but in the developing world, the mobile phone is often the only device that people have for accessing information.

While those in the developed world are talking about Android or the latest in iPhone or Blackberry applications, developing countries are getting excited over the increased availability and reductions in cost of the simplest low-end mobile phones.

The international community has spent millions on initiatives such as the ‘One Laptop Per Child' programme to develop low cost, low power laptops to help deliver vital resources and information to people in the developing world. Unfortunately the success of these has been hampered by the lack of electricity in some areas and insufficient Government buy-in in other regions.

Today, there are over four billion mobile subscribers, according to the Wireless intelligence global database of mobile market information, well over 50% of the world's population. This is compared to approximately one billion PC's that can access the Internet.

For example, it was reported at the AfricaCom conference in Cape Town last year that 38% of the African population are expected to have a mobile phone by 2012 versus a mere five or less PC's per 1000 people in Sub Saharan Africa. This number would decline significantly when talking avout internet accessing PC's.

Given these numbers alone, the question we should be asking ourselves then is not how we can improve electricity accessibility or prove to governments that a laptop for every child is necessary but rather how do we maximize the mobile phone to help bridge the digital divide now, not in five or ten years time?

The advantages of the mobile phone over the landline or even the computer are obvious. They are a far cheaper option, portable and offer a battery life that is well suited to the rural areas or regions where there is a lack of easy access to electricity.

Although the digital divide is not as widespread as Africa, Asia remains a region with many developing countries such as The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. The digital divide in Asia primarily exists along the lines of income and rural-urban locations.

Whilst being a region with many low-income and rural locations, Asia is also home to much more developed countries like Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. This vast disparity in wealth across the region is mirrored in the mobile phone market with users ranging from the tech savvy to the most basic.

Asia is also home to some of the fastest growing mobile phone markets in the world such as China and India, with growth coming from the lower-end segments of the region. In January this year, India's total number of mobile subscribers jumped to 362.3 million, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, with over 15 million new subscribers in just one month. This was the biggest monthly growth ever.

Although rapidly growing in their uptake of mobile phones these segments are by no means potential smart phone users in the near future. They are however well aware of the communications tools smartphones offer and would jump at the opportunity to use them.

These users are also becoming more mobile in their daily routines and need to able to communicate 'on the go'. This mobility is especially true in locations around the region like Malaysia, where working from remote locations is common.

In a lot of cases, their mobile phone is sometimes the only device they have for communicating and accessing information. With many pre paid subscribers on the basic low-end phones, simply marketing a smartphone or equivalent to solve their communication problems is just not viable.

Without large amounts of money to spend on an initial high end mobile phone purchase, subsequent mobile phone activities as well as limited access to mobile internet, this segment of mobile phone users contribute to a large portion of SMS traffic. They SMS to simply stay in touch with family and friends and also to access a wide variety of data services including financial transactions and news updates.

It is this trend which has the power to unleash great opportunities for network providers. To be able to provide these users with the ability to SMS, email and even IM from their basic low-end mobile phones opens up a whole range of communication channels previously unavailable to them.

If this can all be done using the same general platform as an SMS, it opens up a new market where there would be no need for Internet access, downloading applications, upgrading phones or any of the expensive data charges normally associated with email or IM. We would be creating an environment where fast, in fact almost instantaneous, communication and information services are possible. This then opens up a range of communication options like mobile banking, social networks, commercial market alerts and Government notifications for emergencies. People in rural areas who run small businesses or work in farms, for example, can gain access to market information and send requests for orders and deliveries.

Mobile banking is a huge market for people without Internet or landline access. Via a simple SMS platform the mobile phone can be used for financial transactions, checking balances and transferring funds. This type of access to information is a powerful enabler and gives end users options and choice.

As network carriers around the region are working to improve their network coverage in rural areas, the mobile phone is certainly the technology we must focus on to deliver these users the real-time communication tools they have needed for years now. The most basic mobile phone has the power to help bridge the digital divide.