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mobiles in development

CellBazaar: A SMS Marketplace in Bangladesh

April 28, 2008 | CorinneRamey
file under:
bangladesh, cellbazaar, ICT4Dev, mobile marketplace, mobileactive, mobiles in development

Imagine you're in Bangladesh and you want to buy a cow. You pull your mobile phone out of your pocket and start sending text messages to 3838, the shortcode for CellBazaar, a mobile phone marketplace which some have called the "Craigslist of Bangladesh." You look through the relevant ads and look at the ages, locations, and number of teeth of the 187 cows that are currently for sale. After another SMS, you are connected with the phone number of the the seller, ready to make your new purchase.

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Mobile Phones in Development: Upcoming Conferences

March 7, 2008 | CorinneRamey
file under:
Brazil, conference, mobiles in development

Two upcoming conferences will address issues relating to mobile phones in development.

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Canadian organization focused on helping organizations in developing countries use technology, will be hosting a conference on mobile phones used to improve access to health services in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The conference will be held on March 17 and 18 in Florianópolis, Brazil. More information is available on the IDRC website.

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Nigeria is Mobile: A Book Review

February 28, 2008 | CorinneRamey
file under:
book review, mobile banking, mobiles in development, Nigeria

The brightly-colored umbrellas of mobile phone vendors, selling top-up airtime and the use of mobile phones for calls, dot the landscape of urban and rural Nigeria. However, says a new book on mobile phones in Nigeria, cell phones haven't just visually changed the landscape of Africa's most populous country, but have transformed the country economically, socially, and democratically as well.

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Mobile Phone Powers an Internet Cafe in Bangladesh

October 8, 2007 | CorinneRamey
file under:
bangladesh, Grameen, mobiles in development

Abu Sufian's small room in Fultola, Bangladesh looks like a standard Internet cafe. There are four workstations -- each with a mouse, keyboard, and monitor -- where customers can check email or browse the Internet. But this isn't just any Internet cafe -- the center is all made possible by one mobile phone.

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t4cd

file under:
ecology, mobiles in development, sms, Wildlife and Animal Welfare
operates in:
South Africa

contact:

t4cd currently uses mobile phones in its project called SMS Communities.

 

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References / Past Projects

The “Technologies for Conservation and Development” project, t4cd, is a joint initiative of the international conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the South African-based development charity Resource Africa (RA). Initiated in April 2004 with core funding from the Vodafone Group Foundation, t4cd's fundamental objective is to assist conservation and development practitioners to identify and implement technologies that can aid them in their work and, in doing so, drive tangible conservation and livelihoods benefits.

From an initial focus on the appropriate application of mobile phone technology for conservation and development gains, the project’s remit has since expanded to include the following technology areas:

  • data management and information sharing (e.g. GIS software, OpenSource & freeware)
  • remote power supply
  • wildlife tracking

In response to stakeholder demand, t4cd has broadened its strategy to encompass a central role in information dissemination and networking. It increasingly acts as a broker or "Hub" identifying, adapting, pilot testing and communicating on the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to support conservation and sustainable development initiatives - a need identified from conservation practitioners.

This website forms an important component of this information-sharing strategy. Within the ICT Resource section is a comprehensive database of communications, data management and information sharing, power, and tracking technologies. Also included are details of dozens of projects already benefiting from such technologies, plus funding, support and training tips.

In addition to this, t4cd continues to work on its field level projects, working with in-country partners to implement appropriate technologies to drive delivery of concrete conservation and development gains. Details of t4cd's current projects are shown on the Current Projects page.



Mobiles in Development Unplugged. Abi Jagun on the Mobile Hype.

October 2, 2007 | KatrinVerclas
file under:
abi jagun, mobileactive, mobiles in development

MobileActive.org series on mobiles in development continues. Here is guest writer Abi Jagun from the University of Manchster who deconstructs the hype on mobiles in civil society:

By the end of 2007 about half of the world’s population will be using mobile phones; and it is likely that this proportion will continue to increase as more people - predominantly in developing countries - get connected to mobile telecom networks.

The benefits of mobile phones continue to be widely publicised. In particular, they allow people to receive and communicate information interactively and/or simultaneously by voice and data -- beyond the physical limitations imposed by geography. But is the hype useful for a throughtful exploration of the potential of mobiles in development, or, in fact, a hindrance?

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