ToolsMobile Phones  The revolution of mobile phones has fundamentally changed the way we communicate. This is the case around the globe but especially in Africa, where until today the fixed telephone network could not cover well the entire territory. The development of the mobile network is associated with a market share battle among phone companies with, at times, quite surprising marketing methods. This being said, mobile phones offer of course many advantages for communication. There are services available only in Africa, such as mobile payments, SMS services suitable for oral, etc. More... The field study carried out by ICV and its E-TIC program clearly indicates that, beyond being a conventional means of communication, mobile phones can allow populations living in remote locations to access information and communicate in ways that help them in their daily lives and in obtaining information. More... Solutions SMSSeveral programs use SMS to distribute information. We are in touch with several actors involved in these services: ManobiManobi (http://www.manobi.sn) is a social enterprise based in Dakar which has been working on SMS applications since 2003. Trade at HandRapidSMSRapidSMS (http://www.rapidsms.org) is based on Python. Jokko InitiativeThe Jokko Initiative deals with teaching youth and women in Senegalese villages how to use cell phones to (un)subscribe to e-mail-like mailing lists for communicating with a user-defined network of cell-phone-owning friends. This project was at least partially funded by UNICEF Innovation and uses the RapidSMS system. MindmeisterMapping of projects that use SMS: Meindmeister |
