Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Mobile phones ring in growth in emerging markets
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Mobile phones ring in growth in emerging markets
AFP - Wednesday, October 7
Send
IM Story
Print
A Pakistani passenger bus is seen passing by a bill-board displaying a mobile phone advertisement in Islamabad. Once just a simple telecommunications tool, the mobile telephone has in recent years become a driver of economic growth in emerging countries, according to experts.
Slideshow: Full Photo Coverage: Personal Technology
GENEVA (AFP) - – Once just a simple telecommunications tool, the mobile telephone has in recent years become a driver of economic growth in emerging countries, experts said at one of the industry's biggest fairs.
"The handyman who is offering services could not be reached before, but ... now they have a mobile phone and they are on call," said Khaled Ismail, who heads the development division at the Egyptian group Orascom Telecom.
"These entrepreneurs could not open a shop, it is too expensive. Now they are on call. Mobile phones are proving to become very vital for SMEs," Ismail told AFP at the ITU Telecom World exhibition this week.
Anecdotal evidence from Pakistan to Rwanda to Malaysia demonstrates how the mobile telephone has helped spur businesses in the developing world, altering the daily lives of rural and often poor populations dramatically.
Research has found that every 10 percent growth in mobile phone penetration brings about an increase of 0.6 percent in economic growth, said Philippe Dongier, who heads the information and communications technologies division at the World Bank.
The equivalent growth in high-speed Internet penetration, meanwhile, boosts growth by 1.3 percent, said Dongier.
Thanks to mobile telephones and instant messaging, fishermen, farmers, handicraft workers have been able to hawk their wares in a more efficient way or even find new clients, he noted.
In India, fishermen out at sea can now learn about the demand on shore, and therefore channel their catch to the right port.
The mobile technology has therefore "had a direct effect on the revenues of the fishermen," said the World Bank specialist.
In Rwanda, hospitals have been able to optimise the management of their stocks of medicines through instant messenging, added Dongier.
Orascom's Ismail notes that in Bangladesh, the telephone allows farmers to gain access to the Internet for information that is vital to their livelihoods.
"They cannot afford a laptop... The phone is a much simpler device. They receive very dedicated information which helps them to optimise the crops, sell at the right time, at the right price," he explained.
In Malaysia, the mobile phone has also brought new convenience, said Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, who heads the country's telecommunications and multimedia commission.
"Previously, people walk half a day to get to a clinic or to get to a centre to make a phonecall," he said, but now, most of the country's population can obtain information they need via SMS.
The number of mobile telephone users is expected to reach 4.6 billion this year, a more than four-fold increase from a billion in 2003, according to the UN's International Telecommunications Union. And much of recent year's growth has stemmed from emerging countries.
These huge markets have also led to new opportunities for home-grown telecommunications players, according to industry watchers.
Orascom, for instance, is now operating in 14 countries, including Bangladesh, North Korea and Namibia.
China Mobile's chief executive Wang Jianzhou, whose company signs up some five million subscribers per month, told AFP that penetration rates in rural China now stand only at 20 to 30 percent.
"The growth in penetration is slowing in cities but the growth potential in rural areas is huge," he said.
The Chinese telecommunications giant is also looking to other emerging markets for growth.
"We would like to expand internationally in emerging markets," said Wang, adding that Asia would be its main target, given its proximity and cultural similarities.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Mobile phones ring in growth in emerging markets AFP - Wednesday, October 7
Google widens lead over Bing and Yahoo!: Hitwise AFP - Wednesday, October 7
AT&T opens wireless network to Internet voice calling AFP - Wednesday, October 7
FIFA launches soccer World Cup for virtual players Reuters - Wednesday, October 7
Google, Microsoft, Palm rev up smartphone race Reuters - Wednesday, October 7
News Search
Top Stories
Gold price hits record high on report to ditch dollar
Cracks emerge as IMF, World Bank work for recovery
'Masters of light' win Nobel Physics Prize
Global economic crisis to slash carbon emissions: IEA
Experts find 'faulty' gene linked to cancers
More Top Stories »
Related Full Coverage
Personal TechnologyMobile phones & personal gadgets
All Full Coverage »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Letterman apologizes to wife over affairs
Unemployment to peak in 8-12 months: IMF chief
Trio win Nobel Medicine Prize for research into ageing
Gold price hits record high on report to ditch dollar
Cracks emerge as IMF, World Bank work for recovery
More Most Viewed »
Oldest hominid skeleton sheds light on human origins
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 7 October 2009 Turkish police fire tear gas on IMF protesters
Experts find 'faulty' gene linked to cancers
'Masters of light' win Nobel Physics Prize
Palestinians seek ITU support in frequency row
Iraqi police: market blast kills 8 in Fallujah
Threat of next world war may be in cyberspace: UN
Verizon to sell 2 Google phones this year
U.S. approves Adobe, Omniture tie-up
U.S. warns Iran may face more sanctions
| International
|
Verizon Wireless, Google to release Android phone
Minibus bomb kills 9 in west Iraq: police
| International
|
Microsoft launches new phone software
Emerging market firms turn giants in telecom sector
Turkey extends mandate to fight rebels in Iraq
Iran plans to use new centrifuge at nuclear plant
Travelling Israeli officials fear war crimes probes
Israeli police nab 2 for vandalizing ancient site
Verizon Wireless, Google to release Android phone
Microsoft launches new phone software
Verizon to sell 2 Google phones this year
Zelaya mistrusts Honduras talks
| International
|
Italy's top court debates Berlusconi immunity law
| International
|
UN appeals for $74M in flood aid to Philippines
Thai rebels kill three, wound 34: police
Weather aids defense of Calif. mountain town
Japan's government to trim 'wasteful' extra budget: minister
France, Kazakhs ink military transit, energy deals
Former NY power broker guilty in pension probe
US troops ramp up Indonesia quake relief
White House: Delay of Dalai Lama meeting mutual
CORRECTED
IEA says $10 trillion needed for clean technology
55 linked to motorcycle club indicted in W.Va.
Pakistan braces for more bombings
Man upset at closed Miami Taco Bell shoots worker
UN seeks $74 mln in aid for flood-hit Philippines
Drug record limit sought by mom in girl's fatal OD
U.S. approves Adobe, Omniture tie-up
| Technology
|
Del. GOP rep to seek Biden's former Senate seat
Biden heads to Poland, Romania, Czech Republic
US Officials: Iran's behavior will bring penalties
Prosecutor: Pediatrician molested male patients
Palestinians seek ITU support in frequency row
| Technology
|
Philippine inflation up 0.7 pct as fears grow over storm effects
Tata Consultancy Services gets new chief executive
Mongolia signs with Rio, Ivanhoe on $4B gold mine
Chinese recovery is not stable: finance minister
Aid pours into quake-hit Indonesia
Rome exhibit traces European history through its saints
Chanel goes rustic
More US schools shun sale of 'junk food'
From Kyoto to Machu Pichu: world's heritage at risk
New Seinfeld turns marriage into "comedy gold mine"
Amenabar nervous ahead of premiere of Agora blockbuster
Increasing use of face veil worries Egyptian government
'Gooooood mornin' Afghanistan!' US fights Taliban on airwaves
Nobel Literature Prize could go to a poet this year
Pusan festival opens window wider to world to stay on top
Mel Gibson's drunken driving conviction erased
| Entertainment
|
Elizabeth Taylor in hospital for heart surgery
| Entertainment
|
Madonna wins damages in UK over wedding pics
| Entertainment
|
Playboy names president, will keep print magazine
| Entertainment
|
Obama holds intense talks on Afghan war
Campaigners press for arms trade deal
Mobile phones ring in growth in emerging markets
Gold price hits record high on report to ditch dollar
Security walls at Samarra shrine now create divide
Italy's top court mulls stripping Berlusconi's immunity
Google widens lead over Bing and : Hitwise
Minibus bomb kills 9 in west Iraq -police
AT&T opens wireless network to Internet voice calling
'Masters of light' win Nobel Physics Prize
FIFA launches soccer World Cup for virtual players
Typhoon bears down on Japan's main islands
| International
|
Taliban vow 'long fight' despite 100 dead in clashes
Amazon, Apple, Google, targeted in patent case
Global economic crisis to slash carbon emissions: IEA
Twitter user who helped G20 protestors facing charges
Microsoft unveils line of Windows phones
Uganda military to free Somali state minister
| International
|
Canwest seeks bankruptcy protection
Honduras talks hopes brighter, Zelaya doubts rival
| International
|
Uganda security detains Somali minister of state
| International
|
Armed violence kills 2,000 a day worldwide: groups
| International
|
Facebook measuring the mood in the US
Mobile phones ring in growth in emerging markets
FIFA launches soccer World Cup for virtual players
NKorea considers return to nuclear talks
US troops ramp up Indonesia quake relief
Bombings kill 2, wound 42 in Thai south
Jury expert: Knowledge of Calif. shooting is wide
Dalai Lama receives rights award at Capitol
Albuquerque, NM, voters cast ballots for mayor
Injured Tom DeLay hangs up his `Dancing' shoes
University in Hong Kong acclaims Nobel physics winner
Woman in Philippines cracks Okla. case
NKorea says willing to return to nuclear talks
Britain will stop funding at Sri Lankan war camps
Amazon.com takes Kindle global
| Technology
|
Parents in prayer death get 6 months in jail
Obama to meet Dalai Lama after China trip
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 791
Looted artifacts on display at Afghan museum
AT&T allows Internet voice calls on Apple's iPhone
| Technology
|
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,348
FIFA launches soccer World Cup for virtual players
| Technology
|
American Samoa tsunami victims receiving tents
Obama offers assurances to Iraqi president
Man gets life in shooting death of California boy
Pusan festival mixes Asian film, Hollywood glamor
Crisis boosts once-hated IMF with new mission
Mandelson won't rule out UK joining euro zone
Taiwan dollar rises after Australian rate hike
S.Korea bonds extend losses on rate hike fear
S.Korea spotted buying dlrs to check won's rise -traders
Seoul shares rise on foreign buying, shipbuilders
Letterman's apologies bring big night in ratings
Injured Tom DeLay hangs up his 'Dancing' shoes
David Letterman sex-blackmail saga earns ratings bonanza
| Entertainment
|
Tom DeLay bows out of TV's Dancing
| Entertainment
|
Pusan festival mixes Asian film, Hollywood glamor
Tom DeLay expected to quit "Dancing"- reports
Food habits of the poor unchanged by NY calories law: study
Letterman sex-blackmail saga earns ratings bonanza
'Idol Gives Back' coming back to 'American Idol'
Mel Gibson's drunk driving conviction expunged
Elizabeth Taylor in hospital for heart surgery
Julius Baer acquires ING's Swiss unit
Saudi Arabia fears militants use Yemen
US-TECH Summary
Afghan Taliban say they pose no threat to the West
| International
|
Europe hits hole on rough road to economic recovery
Palestinian official: We erred over Gaza report
Amazon.com takes Kindle global, lowers U.S. prices
Tiny moon feeds largest ring around Saturn
Amazon debuts international Kindle e-reader
Iran says some countries offer it nuclear fuel
| International
|
Amazon debuts international Kindle e-reader
Saudi king 'due in Syria' as relations improve
Turkey expects to seal deal with Armenia on October 10
| International
|
UN data shows Afghan voter discrepancies: report
ECB interest rates to stay anchored: analysts
Turkish protesters, police clash at IMF meeting
| International
|
Myanmar minister meets detained democracy icon Suu Kyi
| International
|
Afghan watchdog alters vote recount after criticism
| International
|
Saudi king in Damascus to mend fences with Assad
| International
|
Foreign rescue teams leave quake-hit Indonesia city
| International
|
Iran sees U.S. role in researcher's disappearance
| International
|
The Nation's weather
President meets with national security team
Jury in Abramoff-related case heads into 3rd day
Dell brings baseball, fashion designs to PCs
| Technology
|
Bill would counter Supreme Court age bias ruling
Duncan, Holder in Chicago to discuss teen violence
Microsoft's Ballmer sees Windows 7 effect on PC market muted
| Technology
|
Statue of Helen Keller to be installed in Capitol
EU to market test Microsoft remedies on browsers
| Technology
|
AP Poll: Health care overhaul has a pulse
INSIDE WASHINGTON: Oversight lacking on war costs
Collectors named as suspects in Calif. art heist
It's iSnack3.0 -- Aussie spread renamed 'Cheesybite'
BOK head says S.Korea different from Australia -report
Liberia's looted museum becomes civil war shrine
Novel set in Tudor times wins Booker prize
Rupert Murdoch to visit SKorea: reports
In toothless Cape Town, fashion is better than your bite
SCENARIOS-Bank of Korea to hold rates, flag rise by year-end
Sri Lanka delays budget ahead of elections
Nissan heat sensors guard workers against flu
Seoul shares flat after volatile trade; autos fall
Aid helps quake victims and also Indonesia's sick
Hong Kong firm wins bid for AIG unit: report
Indonesia quake survivor says saved by a coffee
Indonesia mulls declaring villages mass graves
Indonesian villages reduced to mass graves
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights