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Peter Johnston European Commission, DG Information Society

Demand utility and impact of low-cost mobile communications in developing countries. Peter Johnston European Commission, DG Information Society. PDJ presentations/sustainable development/UNESCO – ICT for capacity building : May 2005. Wide utility.

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Peter Johnston European Commission, DG Information Society

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  1. Demand utility and impact of low-cost mobile communications in developing countries Peter Johnston European Commission, DG Information Society PDJ presentations/sustainable development/UNESCO – ICT for capacity building : May 2005

  2. Wide utility • Accessible to the illiterate and those without keyboard skills; • Inherently multi-lingual; • Easy to use; • Cheap, light and can be personalized; • Low energy use: Battery recharging from local, renewable sources

  3. Awareness and use of mobile phones:Rural communities in Tansania – Scanagri 2005

  4. Awareness and use of computers and e-mail in rural Tansania:Scanagri 2005

  5. The way to lower costs Low-cost is not low-tech • Greater electronic integration; • Standardisation and economies of scale • Greater energy and spectrum efficiencies • Economies of scope – multi-functional integration : telephony, messaging, e-payments…….. Plus : Innovative business models

  6. Benefits Personal benefits : • Strengthened social networks – Family and friends; Personal security; Avoid the need to travel for information, and new business opportunities. Business benefits : • Lower transaction costs; Wider trade networks and markets, and secure payments; Macro-economic benefits • Increased growth, greater social inclusion and wider participation in business and employment

  7. Mobile communications and capacity-building • Mobile communications has immediate and wide utility in both developed and developing countries; • The is substantial demand for affordable mobile communications, even in the poorest communities; • It can be met by a new generation of low-cost systems currently under development, for which sound business-models for deployment exist; • Increased use of mobile communications can make a major contribution to growth and social inclusion in developing countries; • Benefits will only be realised with continued investment in technology development, and by an environment for business innovation in developing countries.

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