Affects of mobile devices in rural areas S. Fernandes #6110392 March 5, 2011

3 questions Why are the rural areas important? What is information and why is it important? Are mobile telephones the most appropriate delivery for that information? My goal with this research study is to inform myself of how mobile devices can be affective in rural areas

Why are rural areas important? There are three for every four people that live in rural poor areas. The value of mobile telephone services and the benefits that are associated with them are higher in rural areas.

What is information and why is it important? Economists regard information as a critical element in efficient functioning markets. There has been an increase in the rural demand for relevant and timely information and market knowledge

Are mobile telephones the most appropriate delivery for that information? Mobile telephone services have become increasingly affordable and the coverage has seen an unprecedented growth. It has become increasingly important as a means of two way communication in rural and non rural areas.

Annual Growth in Mobile Subscriptions by World Regions (%) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 World 31 21 22 24 23 Americas 18 12 25 37 35 Asia Pacific 45 32 26 Europe 14 16 20 Middle East 36 27 33 USA/ Canada 10 19 11 North Africa 64 49 70 Sub-Saharan Africa 59 48 47 54

Needs of the developing world Developing the communication infrastructure. Developing locally relevant content which meets the needs of the poor. Providing education and training programs in IT enables services to boost skills and training.

Impact of mobile telephones Generation of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Job generation Increase in production and taxation revenue Enhance entrepreneurship Reduce information irregularities Reduce market inefficiencies

Nokia Life Tools 2m43 Agriculture employs more than 60 percent of all workers in India. Nokia is collaborating with content providers to deliver agricultural services that send farmers accurate and regular information on weather, prices and availability of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and prevailing market prices for produce. The agriculture service is also available in Indonesia, China and Nigeria. The education service of Ovi Life Tools aims to boost students’ English language and local, national and international general knowledge. Language lessons, quizzes on English words and phrases, general knowledge, as well as information on higher education, career guidance and tips, exam preparation, tests, and access to exam result are delivered direct to students’ mobile phones to give them an extra advantage in their education.

Interlecta's software Interlecta offers machine translation service for OVI users. It translates text you enter on the screen. You can send that text as SMS message. It integrates machine translation into your mobile phone.

Nokia Education Delivery software The Nokia Education Delivery is a software set-up that allows high-quality education materials to be delivered to schools over mobile networks. It helps bring lessons and training sessions to life with inspiring and engaging educational videos, downloadable by teachers and trainers from a digital catalogue which can be updated on an ongoing basis. The system has been designed with mainly formal learning in mind to help convey tailored content in a structural way, so it can be adopted by schools, non-governmental organisations or even commercial companies.

Mobile Maths in South Africa The service focuses on active learning by delivering interactive study packages to students’ mobile phones and taking advantage of social networking. The content is embedded in local curriculum but provides multi-faceted learning experiences through theory, exercises, tutoring, peer-to-peer support, as well as competitions, tests and self-assessment. The result is highly motivated grade 10 pupils chatting with friends and doing maths on their mobiles, even out of school – in the evenings, weekends and holidays – testing themselves to continually improve their scores and competing with their peers.