Can Mobile Phones Alone Solve Development Problems?

In our first class, we discussed the impact that ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) can have on development.  It seems quite obvious that these technologies would be helpful, and sometimes necessary, for development.  For instance, in order for a farmer in a developing nation to know the best technique for raising his crops, he is going to need access to information.  In these modern times, this necessary information is most easily accessible via the internet.  Therefore—without access to the internet—farmers, educators, and health professionals may be utilizing out-dated or less efficient processes which may, in fact, hinder the development of their nations.

I figured out how to put an image in a blog.

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/ict/graphs/mobile.jpg

While internet use may still be limited in developing countries, mobile phone use is becoming much more prevalent.  As seen on this graph, almost one out of every two inhabitants in developing countries is a mobile telephone subscriber (I’m assuming here they mean adult inhabitants).  In general, cell phones themselves would not be a source of much additional knowledge.  A phone will still only give a farmer in sub-Saharan Africa access to his close contacts (people whose number he knows).  The internet is still necessary to give people far-reaching sources of information.

Yet, it seems that over time, cell phones are becoming more and more similar with computers.  Smart-phones with access to internet, although more expensive than your run-of-the-mill flip-phone, are becoming increasingly prevalent in developed countries.  As the older phones are phased out and smart-phones become the norm, being a cell-phone user may become synonymous with having portable internet access.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/GlobalHealth/cell-phones-mobile-devices-iphones-save-lives-poor/story?id=13805616

This recent article on the abc news website (link above) describes how cell phones are used for in the process called “mhealth” by which health information is accessible in developing countries (in regions such as Africa) via specially developed applications on mobile phones.  The article also mentions that 85 percent of the world is covered by “commercial wireless  signals.”  This offers much promise for the spread of internet and smart phones as a way of increasing access to information.

The success of programs like the mhealth ones mentioned in the article, allow for access to information without the building of costly telecenters and community access points that often would require a highly trained staff to service and run these stations.  Instead, if one in every two adults has a cell phone, and in the future these phones are primarily smart-phones, there will be no need for these communal internet access points.  Instead money (research) can focus on the development of useful phone applications (apps) that make it easier for people to access necessary information once they get their phones.  The ABC News article mentions EpiSurveyor, one such app that helps bring health information to Africa.

I believe that the development of apps is likely the best way to ensure efficient access to information even for those who have little technical training.  This would help to eliminate the needs for the many complex training modules that were discussed in class.