Mobiles for the 'world's poorest'
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Nearly half a million people across Africa will soon be able to make mobile calls in a bid to tackle rural poverty.
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It could be the answer to grandmaÃÂÃÂs prayers: a mobile phone designed specifically for the over-65s that aims to take the fear out of technology and get the elderly connected.
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Is one mobile device capable of doing all things ever going to be a reality for your pocket? Microsoft's Steve Ballmer seems headed in that direction, even though some realize there are limits to unification.
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Working in poverty-stricken areas  gives corporate travelers an up-close look at global problems  such as disease, illiteracy or injustice. It also puts them in  a position to bring about change.
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Advanced Micro Devices has unveiled a stripped-down, low-cost computing device as part of a plan to move into developing markets. The chip maker aims to provide 50 per cent of the world with internet and computing
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The mobile phone maker will support tiny data storage devices and their multimedia cards.
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Handset manufacturers unite to develop TV-enabled mobile phones, but donât expect to tune in on your cell phone anytime soon. In an attempt to make cell phones smarter and more expensive, the top five mobile
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Comment is free: Ban Ki-moon: The negative aspects of the era of mobility too often overshadow its potential power: to bring millions out of poverty.
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A UK team is developing a way to use mobile phones to make lives of diabetics easier.
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From banking to education and even  organized crime, mobile phones are revolutionizing the lives of  ordinary Africans as foreign phone companies scramble for a  share of the world's fastest growing market.
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One Laptop Per Child project leader encouraging wealthy countries to buy $100 laptops for poor economies.
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American economist Jeffrey Sachs  has a novel way to tackle African poverty: Shower more aid on  the world's poorest continent.
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Mobile phones can transform developing world, says UN expert
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African leaders will launch a  global fund to help people in poor countries buy mobile phones  and Internet access as a step out of poverty and into economic  growth, the president of Senegal said on Wednesday.
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TechWeb - Riding the wave of demand for mobile communications in developing countries and finding new ways to make money from maturing markets will be preoccupations at the world's top wireless trade show, 3GSM, in Barcelona.
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Strong demand for low-cost phones in Africa, the Middle East and Asia lifted the companyâs share of the global market to almost 40 percent.
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(InfoWorld) - Two global telecommunication organizations have agreed to collaborate in boosting mobile phone access in developing countries. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an arm of the United Nations responsible for telecommunications issues, and the GSM Association (GSMA), which represents the interests of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) operators, will work together in several areas, including projects aimed at low-cost access to mobile phone services, the two organizations said Tuesday. While GSMA is keen to help its members penetrate huge developing markets such as Africa, the ITU sees wireless as a relatively quick and cost-efficient way to provide phone service to people in countries lacking traditional fixed-line telephone infrastructure. The two organizations will focus on three primary areas: low-cost access to phone service, industry and government cooperation in planning and financing, and industry benchmarking. To help spur low-cost access to mobile phone services, GSMA and ITU will draw on programs each has established for developing markets and identify projects in which the two groups can pool their expertise and resources. While the GSMA has created its own development fund andÂ introduced contestsÂ to encourage the development of low-cost handsets, the ITU has launched its Connect the World initiative, a project to reduce the digital divide. Together, GSMA and ITU also intend to forge partnerships with governments and companies to assist with planning and investment. A key goal will be to establish a regulatory environment to safeguard investments in emerging markets and pursue innovative approaches for theÂ use of universal services fundsÂ to expand wireless access in rural and remote communities. Universal service funds are used mostly by governments in developing countries to subsidize the rollout of telecommunications services. Last year, GSMA estimated that governments in 15 countries have collected $6 billion for their universal service funds, including $2 billion that came from levies on mobile operators. Of this amount, governments have spent $1.6 billion, leaving billions untouched. As for industry benchmarking, both GSMA and ITU have huge statistical databases, which they intend to use to help create key industry and performance indicators for improving decision-making. Last week, GSMA published a study claiming that consumers and businesses in numerous developing countries are paying too much for international calls. Authors of the study call for introducing competition in international gateway services, a move that they claim could reduce call prices by up to 90 percent. The use of mobile phone technology to connect people will be a focus of the GSM World Congress, which begins next week in Barcelona.