Mobile Phones and
International Development
Paul Goodman, ICT Analyst, DAI
November 5, 2009
Overview
• Global Trends
• Delivering Mobile Solutions
• Use Cases
Worldwide Proliferation
Global Trends
Global Mobile Phone Subscriptions
Worldwide Proliferation
Global Trends
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
20002003
2006
ITU data on percentage of Ugandan population covered by mobile phone networks 2000-2006.
Worldwide Proliferation
Global Trends
Worldwide Proliferation
Global Trends
Technological Convergence
Broad range of functionality available in one device: voice and data transmission,
calculator, flashlight, camera, bank, videocamera, multimedia player, notepad, map, etc.
Global Trends
Application Explosion
Mobile phone as profitable application platform and tool for citizen participation.
Global TrendsCommercial applicationsNew monetization/payment options
Applications that promote
citizen participation
Media
Global Trends
The Economist’s September 2009 Special Report on mobile phones included coverage of telecommunications providers, mobile money, the global proliferation of mobiles, and more.
In April 2008 the New York Times asked, “Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?” and covered the work of Jan Chipchase, Ken Banks, and several others.
In February 2007 the BBC proclaimed the mobile phone a “lifeline for world’s poor”.
The New York Times’ Freakonomicsblogs notes irony in the conditions surrounding the WFP’s latest effort.
USG, Donors Call for Mobile Tech
Global Trends
Delivering Mobile Solutions
•Benefits:
–Broad reach
–Simplicity and low cost of SMS
–Voice offers options for illiterate audiences
–Existence of turn-key solutions and
experienced partners across the public and
private sectors
Mobile Solutions
Delivering Mobile Solutions
•Tools:
–SMS/MMS
–Voice
–Data/Mobile Web
–Multimedia Capabilities
Mobile Solutions
Delivering Mobile Solutions
•Considerations:
–Airtime and messaging costs
–Many open source tools are free to try but
require considerable customization and
maintenance
–Host organization must demonstrate
institutional buy-in and capacity
–Local telecommunications infrastructure
Mobile Solutions
Use Cases
•Governance and Civic Engagement
•Health Care Monitoring and Delivery
•Mobile Money
•Agriculture and Market Information
Use Cases
Approaches and Technologies:
•One-way SMS communications (push)
•Two-way SMS communications (push/pull)
•IVR and other voice services
•Data services (mobile web)
The list above and the examples that follow are for illustrative purposes
only – there are too many applications and tools to discuss today.
Governance and Civic Engagement
•Government-Citizen Link
–Communications Channel
–Transparency Tool
–Service Delivery Mechanism
•Citizen Journalism
Use Cases
Use Cases
Citizen journalism via Ushahidi’s platform includes SMS, the web, and Android/WinOS applications
City of Boston’s iPhone citizen participation application
Government transparency delivered via the Sunlight Foundation’s
Recovery.gov augmented reality application
Administration of basic municipal services, information updates to citizens, political action, most often through SMS
Governance and Civic Engagement
SoukTel offers a variety of citizen
engagement services through SMS
FreedomFone delivers IVR-based information
distribution to NGOs in Zimbabwe
Health Care
•Health Care Monitoring
•Health Care Service Delivery
•Patient Records
Use Cases
Use Cases
UNICEF Innovation’s open source RapidSMS platform powers a Nutritional Surveillance System
FrontlineSMS:Medic began in Malawi and has now deployed SMS services at multiple sites
DataDyne’s EpiSurveyor tool is free and benefits from extensive documentation
Health Care
AED’s GATHERdata is the latest solution in this field
ClickDiagnostics offers data collections services in addition to its intended use: field diagnosis
Voxiva offers HealthConnect: SMS, data, IVR data collection, analysis, response, etc. via SAAS
Mobile Money
•Financial Services and Information Access
Use Cases
Mobile Money
Use Cases
SafariCom & Vodafone’s M-Pesa, originally funded by DfID, now has one million subscribers in Kenya
Roshan’s M-Paisa in Afghanistan, with $55 million in support from the ADB
MTN and Standard Bank offer mobile money services in Uganda
Offerings from US-based financial institutions lag far behind the international community
Agriculture
From Kerala to Kabul to Kampala : informal market information systems, donor-funded systems, and private sector services.
Use Cases
Robert Jensen is the author of “The Digital Provide: Information (Technology), Market Performance and Welfare in the South Indian Fisheries Sector,” Quarterly Journal of Economics (2007).