FIGURE 6: ICT Penetration by HDI 2010 in percent 140
Mobile phone subscriptions
120 100 80
Internet users
60 40 20
Fixed telephone
0
Low Source: ITU 2011 and UNDP 2010
Medium
High
Very High
Human Development Index
• Beeping or flashing: This is a practice where the caller hangs up after one or two rings to signal the receiver to call back (Donner 2007). • Buying or selling airtime: This is a method where people buy airtime for other phone numbers, thereby transferring value to them, a practice which can be used as a method of distance payment. Often, people have informal agreements with merchants to resell their minutes in exchange for cash. It is likely that the idea for mobile remittances — such as m-PESA (see box 6) — stemmed from these practices. • Prepaid service vouchers: Use of prepaid service vouchers is a flexible way of paying for airtime minutes compared to being on a phone plan with a fixed monthly post-paid fee (Sey 2011). Vouchers for airtime can cost as little as $0.50 and have spurred a micro-economy of ‘telecom voucher’ vendors in many countries. • SMS instead of voice: In many countries, SMS (or ‘texting’) is much less expensive than voice calling, leading to the growth of the ‘thumb culture’ (Glotz, Bertschi, and Locke 2005). • Receiving calls: In places where providers do not charge for incoming calls, mobile phones are used to receive calls only. • ‘Call me’ messages: Some telecom companies, such as Digicel in Haiti, provide ‘call me’ messages free of charge.
Summary Given the still relatively high cost of mobile phones and services in developing countries, especially in LDCs, projects targeting broad development goals should not fall into the digital divide trap and emphasize ownership of devices or access to the networks. Instead, the focus should be on new and innovative ways of integrating mobile technologies into development agendas as their lower cost potentially increases scalability. It is worth restating that without strategic thinking, mobile phones can become an extra expense for the poor with no significant development achievements. Yet opening new opportunities to connect the poor to services via mobile phones offers a promising means of reaching historically underserved communities while also opening platforms that give them a voice in broader governance processes.
Mobile Technologies and Empowerment
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