This issue of the Drum Beat takes a closer look at trends, strategies, and initiatives centred around one particular information and communication technology (ICT): the mobile (cellular) telephone. It provides a snapshot of a few of the summaries available on The Communication Initiative website that explore to what extent - and to what end - this ICT is being used in various locales around the world to address a variety of needs and issues. *** CONTEXT & TRENDS 1. Mobile 2007 According to this report from ENTER [Centro de Análisis de la Sociedad de la Información y las Telecommunicaciones], the number of mobile customers throughout the world reached 2.6 billion by the end of 2006, with two-thirds of these customers in a developing country (compared with 50% at the end of 2003). Meanwhile, fixed telephony continues along the downward trend that started in 2002; in 2005, there was a decrease of 2.1% in value terms in the world market as a whole. http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://www.enter.es/enter/file/espano... 2. Pocket Answer to Digital Divide by Jo Twist According to this article from the BBC, much of the debate about the digital divide centres on finding ways to get computers to individuals in developing countries, but some people argue that existing mobile phone technologies are the way to connect the world. The article states that mobile technology has, for some time, been making a difference in remote, underdeveloped areas where it is difficult and costly to build fixed-line infrastructure and net access. One reason for its success is ease of use and ability to conveniently overcome language and literacy issues. In addition, while internet access requires some level of know-how, such as typing and reading skills, the mobile, in its simplest form, requires voice only. This technology is being used in local communities to find out market prices and other vital information. For example, in Bangladesh, mobiles are being extensively used for e-learning, e-commerce, and e-government. http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1513.html 3. Telecommunications: A Dynamic Revolution by David White This November 2006 article traces trends in telephone use in Africa. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), between 2000 and 2005 the number of mobile phone lines in Africa rose from 15.6 to 135 million - a compound annual growth rate of almost 54%, compared with 24% globally. Mobile users account for 83% of Africa's telephone subscribers, a higher proportion than any other region in the world; the World Bank estimates that in most African countries, more than 90% of mobile custom is prepaid. However, mobile network coverage on the continent, averaged at 15%, is still the lowest in the world, varying from 72% in South Africa to 1% in Eritrea, and expansion is expected to be slow. Furthermore, White explains that the rise of the mobile may be masking a number of problems in the continent's communications infrastructure. For instance, Africa's landlines are said to be in a crippled state; main telephone lines have expanded, but at a much slower rate of l! ess than 7% a year, achieving a penetration rate of just 3%; Chad, for instance, has 1 fixed line for 700 people. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-327.html 4. New Trends in Mobile Communications in Latin America by Judith Mariscal and Eugenio Rivera According to this October 2005 paper, Latin America's mobile telephony sector "has experienced a growth pattern that vastly surpassed all expectations." The authors note that, after 1998, the average annual growth of mobile telephony users during the 2000-2003 period was 33% in the region, whereas growth in the case of traditional telephony was only 7%. In fact, "Today, mobile telephony provides the only source of access to some of the poorest segments of the population." For instance, many members of rural Mexican families have migrated to larger cities within Mexico or abroad looking for better salaries, employment, and educational opportunities; increased capacity to communicate is key. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-277.html 5. UK Children Go Online: Final Report of Key Project Findings by Sonia Livingstone and Magdalena Bober This April 2005 report indicates that one key finding from a survey of children and youth aged 9-19 in the United Kingdom (UK) is that the mobile phone is their preferred method of communication - over email, text or instant messaging - for a range of reasons - whether it is passing time, discussing logistics, seeking advice, or gossiping or flirting. http://www.comminit.com/trends/st2005/thinking-1271.html 6. From Matatu to the Masai via Mobile by Paul Mason As part of his journey through Kenya using a map of the country's mobile phone networks as his guide, BBC Newsnight correspondent Paul Mason here traces trends in the use of this ICT to foster economic and social development. Mason explains that today 1 in 3 adults carry a cellphone in Kenya; in the past 5 years the number of mobiles in Kenya has grown from 1 million to 6.5 million. In contrast, the number of landlines remains at about 300,000, mostly in government offices. "About 80% of Kenyans are covered by mobile networks and while it would be easy to find a place off the network, finding people there would be difficult." One new specific development Mason describes is the ability to transfer funds via one's cell phone. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2007/trends-340.html 7. Wireless Communication and Development in the Asia-Pacific: Institutions Matter by Rohan Samarajiva This paper traces regional trends related to the growth of wireless technologies, including telephones, and explores the regulatory and policy environment that is needed to continue to support these technologies' "enormously important role in extending access to voice and data communications by hitherto excluded groups in society." The Asia-Pacific is also "a major player in mobile data. One consultancy firm calculated that 77% of the world's estimated 100 million mobile data subscribers in 2003 came from the Asia-Pacific, principally Japan and South Korea. The region was making significant progress on 3G mobile services as well, with over 10 million subscribers in 2004. However, "there remain many institutional barriers..." http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-280.html 8. The Real Digital Diversity by Seán Ó Siochrú In this article, Ó Siochrú agrees that mobile phones have proven to be very successful, offering examples of community-owned and community-driven networks in Argentina, Peru, Poland, and India - where wireless technologies are offering small-scale, low-cost, low-maintenance data and voice networks. However, he argues that mobile phones are not necessarily the least expensive or best way to bring telephone services to economically poor and rural areas. He points to a particular one-size-fits-all project based in Bangladesh that failed in Nigeria, attributing the failure to significant differences related to factors such as population density, availability of micro-credit, and cost of interconnections. Ó Siochrú makes reference to the private sector's unwillingness to commit to long-term investment needs when it comes to bandwidth. He also believes that widespread applications are not occurring primarily because of the absence of a supportive regulatory and institutional envir! onment. http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1179.html MOBILES IN TIMES OF CRISIS & CONFLICT 9. Must Haves: Cellphones Top Iraqi Cool List by Damien Cave According to this news article, in July 2006 there were 7.1 million cellphone subscribers in Iraq, up from 1.4 million 2 years prior. The author suggests that it is the violence in this country that seems to have spawned the growing use of this ICT. For instance, insurgents are using phones to communicate with each other about such issues as detonation of bombs, while Iraqis of all sects are relying on their phones to avoid danger and/or to communicate their safety (or lack thereof) to family members. In addition, human rights workers often receive pictures of men tortured or killed by death squads, many of them taken with the cellphones of witnesses or the victims' relatives. Brig. Gen. Jaleel Khalaf Shwayel of the Iraqi Army said that he gives cellphone number to people in the neighbourhoods, and receives calls every day. "In the el-Adil district, I received a call that people there had put mines in the road...I gave an order to investigate, and we discovered it was right.! " In addition to use of this medium to exchange news and/or information, Iraqis - especially young people - are reportedly using text messages and images on their cellphones as a "safe" form of self-expression, and as a way to tap into a source of resilience and local sense of humour as a way of coping with pervasive violence. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2007/trends-334.html 10. Internews Creates Text Messaging Service for Indonesian Journalists After Earthquake This article explores trends in the use of short message service (SMS) technology by journalists seeking to share crucial information with the general public in the aftermath of a natural disaster. In response to the May 27 2006 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java, which killed over 5,000 and left 1.6 million homeless, mobile phones "quickly became mobile news services for journalists covering the recovery efforts." As part of the Java Earthquake Emergency Media Project, Internews worked with more than 180 Indonesian journalists to establish a quick, low-cost emergency communication network that enabled local radio stations to report on humanitarian relief. Outgoing messages ranged from warnings of aftershocks and reports on emergency services such as vaccinations, to stories of protests by communities that had not received any government aid after the disaster. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-329.html 11. Donate a Phone, Save a Life National Cell Phone Collection Campaign - United States In 2005, the Body Shop, an international retailer of skin, hair, and body care products, asked members of the United States public to donate used wireless phones to support the effort to stop family violence. The Body Shop is sharing information on its website and using this and other media channels to stimulate donation of used phones to be sold, refurbished, or recycled, with proceeds going to partnering organisations whose programming works to raise public awareness about domestic violence and to support survivors. The goal of the campaign is to "break the silence around this issue and bring support, awareness, and education" to the Body's Shop's customers and employees. http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2005/experiences-3325.html Contact http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/h... 12. Greenpeace Uses SMS To Monitor Forest Destruction According to this article, Greenpeace is using mobile phone technology to support environmental activism in Argentina. This includes using SMS in campaigns and activities, both to receive information from local activists on the ground and also to mobilise supporters in the cities. Greenpeace has provided indigenous people with mobile phones so that they can text for help when their lands are under attack from developers; this strategy is based on the belief that SMS is the most accessible method for indigenous people, as in most cases they don't have landlines or access to electricity. http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1500.html 13. Cell Phones for Soldiers - United States and Global This is a grassroots effort to help active duty military members communicate with their families through funds raised from recycled cell phones. Initiated in April 2004 by a (then) 13-year-old United States resident and her 12-year-old brother, this programme involves galvanising community members to donate used mobile phones to support the purchase of prepaid phone cards for American troops overseas. Inspired by a news story on television about a Massachusetts soldier struggling to pay off more than US$7,000 in charges for cellphone calls home from the Persian Gulf, the brother and sister team collected money from classmates and other local sources to help pay that soldier's phone bill. Their plan broadened when the pair heard that recyclers paid for used cell phones. Working with their parents, the siblings persuaded local shops, police stations, and government offices to set out cell phone recycling bins. With the recycling proceeds and some cash donations, the siblings b! uy phone cards worth up to 60 minutes each in international calls. They send the cards to service members and their families or military units that place requests through the charity's website. http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2007/experiences-4209.html Contact Brittany and Robbie Bergquist kids@cellphonesforsoldiers.com OR cellphonesforsoldiers@recellular.com 14. Ratification of the Protocol Campaign - African Union This communication campaign uses advocacy as a tactic to urge African governments to ratify the protocol of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Thirteen civil society organisations that have been working on the protocol - along with Oxfam GB, Equality Now, African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights, and Fahamu - formed a coalition. These campaigners joined efforts by preparing a petition to be presented to the Heads of States and Government of the African Union (AU) and then putting out a call for articles and an SMS campaign known as "text now 4 women's rights." This part of the campaign was aimed to enable cell phone users across the world to send text messages from their cell phones to sign an online petition in support of the campaign. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds12006/experiences-3519.html Contact Zeinab Kamil Ali zeinab70@yahoo.com OR Hannah Forster acdhrs@acdhrs.org OR Dr. Morissanda Kouyate morissanda@yahoo.fr OR Anne Gathumbi info@covaw.or.ke OR Soyata Maiga cabinetsoya@afribone.net.ml OR Muchimba Sikumba Dils fdc@fdc.org.mz OR Liz Frank sister@iafrica.com.na OR Elize Delport illisd@mweb.co.za OR Adjamambo Johnson wildaf@cafe.tg OR Lynette Matima lynette@wildaf.org.zw *** PULSE POLL http://www.comminit.com/pulse.html Media reform is a free-standing social movement. Do you agree or disagree? [For context, see http://www.comminit.com/drum_beat_397.html] Please VOTE and COMMENT! - http://www.comminit.com/pulse.html *** Please participate in a DISCUSSION on the above topic through June 28 2007 within the Drum Beat Chat forum. See http://forums.comminit.com/viewforum.php?f=49& *** MOBILES FOR HEALTH 15. Using Cell Phones to Teach Pandemic Flu Preparedness According to this article, a team from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has developed an interactive tool using mobile phones to educate the public about pandemic flu. The free, interactive media, called Mobile PanFlu Prep, can be downloaded to a cell phone as one would download an interactive game. A series of menu items and audio provide the user with information on flu symptoms, advice on avoiding the flu, and a checklist to prepare for pandemic flu. Mobile PanFlu Prep is available in English and Spanish and contains rich graphics, animations, voice-overs, branching, scrolling text, and record-keeping. http://www.comminit.com/avianinfluenza/st2006/thinking-1618.html 16. Phones-for-Health - Global This is a public-private partnership facilitating access to and use of cell phones for health efforts in the developing world. The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan/PEPFAR) is working along with the several mobile phone industry companies and other private-sector partners to leverage technology to connect health systems in PEPFAR-supported countries. The programme provides health workers in the field with a Motorola-made phone that is equipped with an application that lets them enter health data on patients. That information is then sent by way of general packet radio services (GPRS) to a central database. (If a GPRS network is not available, it can be sent via SMS.) The data is analysed and mapped by the system and then made available to health officials through a real-time internet database. PEPFAR will provide initial support for system roll-out in Rwanda and Nigeria in 2007, with a plan to eventually extend the partnership to at least 8 addi! tional countries on this continent and then expand into Asia as well. While initially focused on HIV/AIDS, the goal is to use the system to address infectious diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2007/experiences-4208.html Contact PughKA@state.gov 17. Polio Tunes on Phones A January 2007 anti-polio campaign in India included the use of polio eradication messages on landline and cell phones to raise awareness about polio among phone users. http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2007/thinking-2026.html 18. La Sante au Bout du Fil (Health On Line) - Mali Launched by Population Services International (PSI)/Mali and the Mali-based telecommunications carrier Ikatel, this social marketing campaign uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) - namely, cellular technology and a website designed specifically for young people - in an effort to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria in Mali. The project sends text messages with PSI/Mali-created health slogans twice a month to 350,000 clients, free of charge. HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention slogans are also being printed on one million pre-paid phone cards. Specifically, simple, concrete messages such as "Anyone can get HIV - everyone can prevent it" and "Protect your family against malaria - use an insecticide-treated mosquito net" are part of the campaign's aim to raise awareness and promote PSI's products: Protector brand condoms, BLOC insecticide net retreatment kits, and Super Moustiquaire Famille Protégée treated nets. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds122004/experiences-2828.html Contact psimali@psimali.org 19. TeleDoc - India This initiative provides handheld mobile phone devices to village health workers in India, permitting them to communicate with doctors who use a web application to help diagnose and prescribe for patients. The process of creating TeleDoc began in 2001, when the India-based Jiva worked closely with community heads of villages in Haryana to identify healthcare priorities and test appropriate health solutions. The result is a system that uses Java-enabled mobile telephones to provide village-based healthcare workers with real-time ability to record and transmit diagnostic information. Custom database applications, which synchronise with record-management systems at Jiva's clinic, enable doctors to analyse the data and then prescribe medication and treatment. Medicines are compounded at a regional office, picked up by field workers, and delivered to patients in their homes - a network of pharmacies and delivery people supports this process. The approximate cost of the entire Tel! eDoc process is 70 rupees (US$1.50) per consultation. http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds12004/experiences-469.html Contact contact@jiva.com 20. Mobiles To Track Bird Flu and AIDS Spread by Jo Best Mobile phones are being used to help doctors in Rwanda track the spread of diseases such as avian influenza and HIV/AIDS. Created by the GSM Association and Voxiva, the system allows medical and government staff to report on disease outbreaks and patient treatment status, as well as to order medicine. http://www.comminit.com/trends/st2006/thinking-1924.html MOBILES TO FIGHT POVERTY 21. Phones for the Poor by Syed Mohammad Ali Drawing on examples from Africa and South Asia, this article shows that the "growing profusion of cell phones can have a direct impact on the lives of [economically] poor people," for example, changing the lives of economically poor women whose personal mobility is constrained by socio-cultural barriers. In describing projects to alleviate the digital divide, the author cites the telecommunications strategy of the Grameen Bank, an approach characterised here as "vital for development and poverty alleviation." To take advantage of this potential, the author urges more innovative approaches which are relevant to the needs of the economically poor; also, providers and governments need an "integrated approach going beyond simply providing cheaper phones..." http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2007/thinking-2093.html 22. Mobile Telecommunications and Economic Growth by Leonard Waverman, Meloria Meschi, and Melvyn Fuss In October 2005, the Annenberg Research Network on International Communication (ARNIC) at the University of Southern California, or USC (USA) held a workshop - "Wireless Communication and Development: A Global Perspective" - as part of a multi-disciplinary effort to study the emergence of new communication infrastructures, examine the transformation of government policies and communication patterns, and analyse the social and economic consequences. In this paper, one of 12 delivered at the event, the authors share research that found the economic impact of mobiles around the world to be significant. For instance, doubling mobile penetration from its average level of 8% leads to 10% increase in output. They point, in particular, to the growth potential of mobiles in African countries, noting that South Africa and Morocco have exceptional performance in mobiles rollout and that faster growth is expected here, especially if political stability is maintained. Pointing to busines! s success stories like Celtel and Orascom, they argue that locally run and owned mobile companies can thrive even in the economically poorest of nations, but that a good investment climate, solid rule of law, and less corruption need to be in place. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-283.html 23. Wireless Technologies and Development in Africa by Catherine Nyaki Adeya In this paper from the October 2005 "Wireless Communication and Development: A Global Perspective" workshop, Nyaki Adeya examines the growth in mobile networks in Africa - stressing the "considerable variation between different African countries' adoption and use of these technologies, ranging from the fairly advanced status of South Africa to the relatively under-developed status of Somalia." In the second section of the paper, Adeya examines various strategies for bringing mobile telephony to low-income groups in Africa. To cite one example she points to, Simu ya Jamii is a community-based mobile telecommunication in Kenya that is tailored to satisfy the communication needs of the economically poor, especially those who do not have personal mobile phones. This system "has not only created jobs in low income areas but has given greater access to communication facilities for the poor." There is a specially designed Simu ya Jamii for those on wheelchairs (though able bodied p! eople use it as well), and mostly run by one of their own. As Adeya notes, the popularity of Simu ya Jamii has increased because it can be used even where there is no electricity; charging can be done using solar or car batteries. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-281.html 24. Mobile Banking As Aid Tool by Shihoko Goto According to this article, as mobile phone use has expanded, the ways in which the technology can be used have, too. Even in regions where electric supply and phone connections are sporadic, mobile phones are increasingly being used as a tool for microfinance, as they provide access to bank accounts and allow the transfer of funds and payment of bills. As many people in countries like the Philippines and South Africa own cell phones, mobile banking improves access to credit: "they can be part of a society that depends less on actual cash and more on credit information, which is more convenient and safer, by using a tool that they already have and are familiar with." Further, such services may be particularly convenient in locations where the nearest local bank might be miles away. http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2006/trends-302.html *** This issue was written by Kier Olsen DeVries. *** The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative Partnership - ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Soul City garthj@soulcity.org.za Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com *** The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners. Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com To reproduce any portion of The Drum Beat, see http://www.comminit.com/help.html#copyright for our policy. To subscribe, see http://www.comminit.com/subscribe_drumbeat.html To unsubscribe, reply to this message with "unsubscribe" as the subject. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.