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Since that day in 1973 when Martin Cooper invented, with his team of the company Motorola, the first cell that could be held by a hand, the use of mobile phones has grown phenomenally which has made it one of the most popular consumer goods on the planet. With more than 4 billion connections and nearly 80% of the world's population served by terrestrial GSM networks, mobile telephony is becoming a virtually universal technology, some say as early as 2015.
Mr. Cooper's phone was a not very handy object, weighing two kilos and with a battery of just 20 minutes of battery life. The light, inexpensive and versatile 3G (third-generation) models we know today make it possible to communicate in multiple ways (voice, fax or e-mail) and to access information and entertainment. . These are actually more and more computers that are held in the palm of your hand. Considered at one time as a rich little useful toy, the mobile phone occupies a more and more essential place in our daily life. Wireless technology is also used in many developing countries,
At the beginning of June, Nokia launched a range of products designed specifically for users with limited access to electricity, including a dual SIM card that can be swapped out without turning off the phone - something that meets the needs of many users. Another model has a battery with a battery life of six weeks and can be recharged using a bike dynamo. These novelties gave WIPO Magazine the idea of looking into some of the ingenious uses of mobile phones to connect those who could not be connected with them until then. improve the lives of individuals, especially in remote rural areas of the developing world.
Innovative applications for mobile technologies
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Mobile phones are replacing fixed lines in many developing countries. They contribute to economic growth because they favor business growth by giving them access to more markets. They also provide communities in remote or underserved areas with a more reliable means of communication than road networks or postal systems. With the evolution of technology, these phones not only make voice calls, but also use an extraordinary number of ingenious applications. In developing countries, they facilitate access to market information, health surveillance, remittances and literacy.
The variety and creativity of mobile phone uses are endless. In Senegal, fishermen use it to learn about stocks and market prices of fish, to know which port they should go to sell their cargo at the best price. They also use them to transmit or receive distress signals, so that the safety of local fishing fleets is increased. In South Africa, farmers in Limpopo province are negotiating directly with their customers in a given region by mobile phone to avoid transporting perishable goods over long distances to a market where they would suffer considerable losses - according to some estimates, this has increased their monthly income from US $ 700 to US $ 4,000.1
A 2005 study by Leonard Waverman of the London Business School found that each addition of 10 mobile phones per 100 inhabitants in a developing country resulted in a 0.6% increase in GDP growth.2 of this country between 1996 and 2003.
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Ease of access to financial services can play a key role in stimulating local economic activity and reducing poverty. Many people in remote rural areas do not have a bank account or access to conventional banking services. Mobile telephony is proving to be a particularly advantageous way of dealing with these problems while reducing the operating costs of financial institutions.
The bank at your fingertips
Kenya has pioneered mobile banking with the M-PESA money transfer system ("M" for mobile and "pesa" for "money" in Swahili), launched in February 2007 by Safaricom and Vodafone. "The M-PESA mobile money service is an example of Kenya's leading role in the development of mobile technology and its uses," said Michael Joseph, Executive Director. from Safaricom.
This innovative system allows customers to transfer money from one cell phone to another instead of going through a bank. The service is for mobile phone users who do not have a bank account, either because they do not have enough money to open one, or because they do not have access to a bank .
Hailed as "the first and most successful mobile money transfer service in the world", M-PESA can now boast 9.48 million subscribers, more than 17 000 agencies and 290 bill payment partners. The system, which has diversified widely in its three years of existence, currently offers payment of wages and bills, the ability to withdraw money from ATMs and international money transfers.
All M-PESA users need to register with an authorized agent using their Safaricom mobile number and an identity card. The M-PESA application is then installed on a SIM card used in a phone of any brand and gives access to the following services:
- depositing with a local agent a cash amount which is then credited to the subscriber's account;
- sending money by text message to other mobile phone users (even if they are not Safaricom subscribers);
- cashing with a local agent amounts transferred by text message;
- purchasing Safaricom airtime for the subscriber himself or for other subscribers.
Only Safaricom subscribers can send money through the M-PESA service, but anyone with a phone capable of receiving text messages can receive it by this method, even if it is not account holder in a bank.
Payments and withdrawals can be made from an M-PESA agency, usually a Safaricom dealer, service station, supermarket or local business.
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