Mobile Phones Help Developing Nations
February 08, 2008 | by Christopher Nickson
The mobile phone, along with Net access, is helping to narrow the digital divide between rich and poor countries, according to a UN report.
The annual Information Economy report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released information showing that the wider availability of mobile phones and Net access is helping to lessen the divide between rich and poor nations, although it remains a large gap.
The BBC has said that the report notes that those using mobiles in developing countries now comprise 58% of the total number of mobile users globally. In many rural African communities, the use of mobiles by traders is helping then obtain better prices for their goods, as well as ensure that less goes to waste.
"In Africa, where the increase in terms of the number of mobile phone subscribers and penetration has been greatest, this technology can improve the economic life of the population as a whole," the report stated.
The vast uptake of mobiles in these countries is helping the population bypass several generations of technological development.
Also important is the greater use of computers and the Net. In 2006, the agency has said, Net availability in developed nations was only six times that of developing nations, as compared to 10 times in 2002.
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