The results of the three-year monitoring and evaluation study - conducted in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania at the Millennium Villages by Ericsson, The Earth Institute and Millennium Promise - shows that the introduction of mobile networks has the potential to influence socio-economic development for individuals and villages in remote areas.
This is in line with different studies done showing that 1.2% growth GDP can be achieved in developing countries for every 10% increase in mobile penetration rate.
With the aid of a mobile phone and a toll free number to the health services, health workers can save lives - in the studied countries up to 6000 lives per year. In terms of transportation, respondents reported saving an average of US$5 (about R35) per trip by placing calls instead of travelling. This difference is particularly important considering the income of the area is less than US$1 (about R7) per day.
Elaine Weidman Grunewald, head of sustainability, Ericsson, says, "This report sets an important baseline and the results of the study show the potential for expansion and use of mobile technology in other African and developing countries in rural, remote and poor areas. We believe that a large majority of the approximately 57 million people living in rural areas in these four countries could benefit from mobile communications with reasonable levels of investment in additional telecommunications infrastructure."
Lars Linden, head of Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa, adds, "There are still 1 billion people living outside mobile network coverage and electrical grid in the world. We have found that the use of renewable energy sources combined with customised applications presents a sustainable business opportunity for operators, at the same time supporting individuals to a better quality of life. The group is committed to supporting this need."
The same opportunity for society and operators can be seen in other countries. In India mobile phone use is a large driver of income growth. Rural Indian mobile phone users most sought after services are: agricultural information (40%), entertainment services (16%) such as music and financial services (8%) such as mobile remittance and money. Health applications were ranked as 5th in importance. This is somewhat different to developed markets.
"The mobile phone is the most powerful technology for ending poverty in the world today," said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute. "With the spread of 3G and soon 4G technology, even the most remote schools in the poorest parts of the world can connect to the Internet and share ideas with other classrooms a continent away. Pastoralists, once isolated, can now quickly check on local market prices and make important decisions on whether to bring their herds in from kilometres away for sale in the local town. And critical health data and life-saving information can be sent by text messages to clinics to support rapid diagnoses for patients in remote villages. The Millennium Villages project is deeply honoured to partner with Ericsson, a remarkable pioneer and leader in the field of telecommunications and development. With their bold vision and action, in partnership with rural communities throughout Africa, poverty is being rolled back and an era of new prosperity is dawning."
In 2007, the group committed to provide connectivity to the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) in partnership with MTN, Zain and Sony Ericsson. In a public-private partnership with the Earth Institute, Millennium Promise and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), it is bringing mobile communications and internet to more than a half million people in 10 African countries where the MVP is working. By the end of 2009, 83% of the villages had mobile communication capabilities.
Currently, there are 5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. Out of those, 450 million are in Africa, which represents 43% of the African population. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the penetration is 42%, representing 297 million. By 2013, analysts estimate that sub-Saharan Africa will increase its mobile penetration to 65%.
The report has been submitted to the repository of global resources being created under the auspices of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, just prior to the annual week-long meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, which this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
