Access to telephony for low-income groups is largely based on different strategies of mobile telephony usage. The main goal of this research project is to explore the strategies employed by the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean to access and use mobile telephony services, as well as to identify the major market and regulatory
barriers for increased penetration and usage. More generally, it seeks to contribute to the discussion on how access to mobile telephony contributes to improving the livelihoods of the poor –what we call mobile opportunities.
Our results show that mobile telephony is highly valued by the poor as a tool for strengthening social ties and for increased personal security, and that it is beginning to prove useful for enhancing business and employment opportunities. Overall, the survey results suggest that the acquisition of mobile phones by the poor has an economic
impact reflected mainly in improved social capital variables such as the strengthening of trust networks and better coordination of informal job markets. These findings reveal the continued need to develop innovative business models that extend the market frontier for mobile telephony. They
also highlight the urgent need to rethink public policies that are premised on the mobile phone as a luxury good. Clearly, for the poor, mobile telephony has long been the most cost-effective and accessible alternative.
As in other regions of the world, the use of mobile telephony in Latin America increased dramatically during the last decade surpassing all expectations for the industry. Mobile telephony was initiated as a premium service used mostly by professionals and during the mid-1990s it became a device used by very low income groups. In Latin America, mobile telephony provides the only source of access to some of the poorest segments of the population and it has become the central mode of communications. Mobile networks will provide coverage to
90% of the world's population by 2010, compared with 80% in 2005. In the region, despite several economic slumps, the number of mobile subscribers increased from 4 million in 1995 to close to 300 million in 2005.
This study builds on the findings of an extensive quantitative survey, led by the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society and conducted in seven countries across the region including Jamaica. Among the findings was that 93.8% of Jamaicans surveyed were mobile users. The study also yielded rich results in relation to the use of mobile services among youth, finding that they had above average adoption levels of text messaging and other mobile services. In light of this data on Jamaica’s unique situation, this paper seeks to answer the questions: What value-added features and mobile services are young people using and what are they using them for? The goal was to determine how these services and features fulfill needs in their day-to-day lives covering various aspects such as security, social interaction, cost-saving, recreation and commercial activities.
This study is part of the discussion on the impact of the adoption of information technologies (ICTs), particularly broadband, on poverty reduction. It identifies the opportunities and challenges regarding the impact of ICT adoption in rural communities with different levels of marginalization and connectivity: Las Margaritas in Catorce, San Luis Potosí; Santiago Nuyoo in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca and Cruz del Palmar, Estancia de Canal and Los Torres in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.
This project provides background information as the foundation for a more intensive study to be entitled ‘Genderstanding Mobile Telephony: Women, Men and their Use of the Cellular Phones in the Caribbean’ on usage of mobile telephony by men and women across varied age ranges in the region. The data suggests that telephony has undergone dramatic transitions over the
last five years. From an overwhelming presence of wire-line technology, the regional industry is now dominated by wireless subscribers getting service mainly through an interlocking network of cellular sites.
The development of mobile money systems - Ernesto Flores-Roux, Judith Marisca...ACORN-REDECOM
In this paper we argue that mobile banking offers the opportunity to diminish the financial exclusion suffered by the poor by
offering access to credit and to savings which are key tools capable of transforming the livelihoods of the poor as well as the
efficiency of the market. However, mobile phones need a complete ecosystem that supports its application to a functioning
mobile banking service. The aim of this paper is to contribute to existing knowledge of mobile money across the value chain
by providing insight into the mechanisms of m-money, the value propositions within the business of m-banking and what is
preventing its swifter adoption and usage in the developed world. We develop a taxonomy of the key drivers of the business
model which provides insights for assessing the replicability of these models in other countries. We focus on models
developed in Kenya and the Philippines and explore what is lacking for a widespread adoption in Latin American countries,
such as Mexico, in order to observe what is preventing the creation and usage of m-money models for the BoP.
The Development of Mobile Money SystemsTelecomCIDE
In this paper we argue that mobile banking offers the opportunity to diminish the financial exclusion suffered by the poor by offering access to credit and to savings which are key tools capable of transforming the livelihoods of the poor as well as the efficiency of the market. However, mobile phones need a complete ecosystem that supports its application to a functioning mobile banking service. The aim of this paper is to contribute to existing knowledge of mobile money across the value chain by providing insight into the mechanisms of m-money, the value propositions within the business of m-banking and what is preventing its swifter adoption and usage in the developing world. We develop a taxonomy of the key drivers of the business model which provides insights for assessing the replicability of these models. We focus on models developed in Kenya, the Philippines, and Brazil and explore what is lacking for a widespread adoption of m-money for the BoP1 in other countries.
As in other regions of the world, the use of mobile telephony in Latin America increased dramatically during the last decade surpassing all expectations for the industry. Mobile telephony was initiated as a premium service used mostly by professionals and during the mid-1990s it became a device used by very low income groups. In Latin America, mobile telephony provides the only source of access to some of the poorest segments of the population and it has become the central mode of communications. Mobile networks will provide coverage to
90% of the world's population by 2010, compared with 80% in 2005. In the region, despite several economic slumps, the number of mobile subscribers increased from 4 million in 1995 to close to 300 million in 2005.
This study builds on the findings of an extensive quantitative survey, led by the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society and conducted in seven countries across the region including Jamaica. Among the findings was that 93.8% of Jamaicans surveyed were mobile users. The study also yielded rich results in relation to the use of mobile services among youth, finding that they had above average adoption levels of text messaging and other mobile services. In light of this data on Jamaica’s unique situation, this paper seeks to answer the questions: What value-added features and mobile services are young people using and what are they using them for? The goal was to determine how these services and features fulfill needs in their day-to-day lives covering various aspects such as security, social interaction, cost-saving, recreation and commercial activities.
This study is part of the discussion on the impact of the adoption of information technologies (ICTs), particularly broadband, on poverty reduction. It identifies the opportunities and challenges regarding the impact of ICT adoption in rural communities with different levels of marginalization and connectivity: Las Margaritas in Catorce, San Luis Potosí; Santiago Nuyoo in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca and Cruz del Palmar, Estancia de Canal and Los Torres in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.
This project provides background information as the foundation for a more intensive study to be entitled ‘Genderstanding Mobile Telephony: Women, Men and their Use of the Cellular Phones in the Caribbean’ on usage of mobile telephony by men and women across varied age ranges in the region. The data suggests that telephony has undergone dramatic transitions over the
last five years. From an overwhelming presence of wire-line technology, the regional industry is now dominated by wireless subscribers getting service mainly through an interlocking network of cellular sites.
The development of mobile money systems - Ernesto Flores-Roux, Judith Marisca...ACORN-REDECOM
In this paper we argue that mobile banking offers the opportunity to diminish the financial exclusion suffered by the poor by
offering access to credit and to savings which are key tools capable of transforming the livelihoods of the poor as well as the
efficiency of the market. However, mobile phones need a complete ecosystem that supports its application to a functioning
mobile banking service. The aim of this paper is to contribute to existing knowledge of mobile money across the value chain
by providing insight into the mechanisms of m-money, the value propositions within the business of m-banking and what is
preventing its swifter adoption and usage in the developed world. We develop a taxonomy of the key drivers of the business
model which provides insights for assessing the replicability of these models in other countries. We focus on models
developed in Kenya and the Philippines and explore what is lacking for a widespread adoption in Latin American countries,
such as Mexico, in order to observe what is preventing the creation and usage of m-money models for the BoP.
The Development of Mobile Money SystemsTelecomCIDE
In this paper we argue that mobile banking offers the opportunity to diminish the financial exclusion suffered by the poor by offering access to credit and to savings which are key tools capable of transforming the livelihoods of the poor as well as the efficiency of the market. However, mobile phones need a complete ecosystem that supports its application to a functioning mobile banking service. The aim of this paper is to contribute to existing knowledge of mobile money across the value chain by providing insight into the mechanisms of m-money, the value propositions within the business of m-banking and what is preventing its swifter adoption and usage in the developing world. We develop a taxonomy of the key drivers of the business model which provides insights for assessing the replicability of these models. We focus on models developed in Kenya, the Philippines, and Brazil and explore what is lacking for a widespread adoption of m-money for the BoP1 in other countries.
Internet development report of asia pacific 2016- least developed countries (...Shreedeep Rayamajhi
Internet Development Report of Asia-Pacific 2016- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Their Challenges, the research report focuses on issues and problems of lower economies in respect of internet governance process .
Revoda: Mobile Election App for Nigeria 2011 ElectionsEmeka Okoye
Revoda Mobile app is a mobile application for citizens to monitor the electoral process including election.
ReVoDa turns eligible voters into informal election observers, and allows monitoring organizations to draw conclusions about the legitimacy and accuracy of the elections
Bridging the Mobile Gender Gap-Regulator-Society: Engagement & CommitmentAntonino Galo
This is a short Description related to Gender Gap understanding, and the opportunities that brings the reduction of the digital divide.
The industry have to take in account the barrier that women face for owning a mobile or getting access to internet.
Regulators must be facilitators & play active roles together with other stakeholders to assure a good implementation of Actions Plans and activities to reduce Gender Gap and to verify the metric used in order to avoid any kind of “embellishment”.
The communities have to participate actively & effectively in any kind of action/activities/to empower women in lower income areas/populations.
Tariffs and the affordability gap in mobile telephone services in latin ameri...ACORN-REDECOM
This study analyzes the cost of a low volume basket of mobile telephony services in Latin America and the Caribbean, and
compares results against other regions. The main purpose is to monitor tariff trends as markets mature and estimate service
affordability for lower-income users. We develop an affordability gap estimator to measure service affordability at different
income levels. Overall, the results reveal that mobile telephony tariffs in Latin America are significantly higher than those of
OECD countries and other emerging markets. High tariffs result in low levels of affordability for users at the bottom of the
pyramid. High penetration levels in the region therefore contrast with low levels of usage and persistent gaps in universal
access among low-income households. Several recommendations are put forth to increase competition and reduce tariffs,
including the implementation of number portability, greater availability of radio spectrum, reserving frequencies for new
operators, encouraging infrastructure sharing, and reducing taxation on the mobile industry.
Internet development report of asia pacific 2016- least developed countries (...Shreedeep Rayamajhi
Internet Development Report of Asia-Pacific 2016- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Their Challenges, the research report focuses on issues and problems of lower economies in respect of internet governance process .
Revoda: Mobile Election App for Nigeria 2011 ElectionsEmeka Okoye
Revoda Mobile app is a mobile application for citizens to monitor the electoral process including election.
ReVoDa turns eligible voters into informal election observers, and allows monitoring organizations to draw conclusions about the legitimacy and accuracy of the elections
Bridging the Mobile Gender Gap-Regulator-Society: Engagement & CommitmentAntonino Galo
This is a short Description related to Gender Gap understanding, and the opportunities that brings the reduction of the digital divide.
The industry have to take in account the barrier that women face for owning a mobile or getting access to internet.
Regulators must be facilitators & play active roles together with other stakeholders to assure a good implementation of Actions Plans and activities to reduce Gender Gap and to verify the metric used in order to avoid any kind of “embellishment”.
The communities have to participate actively & effectively in any kind of action/activities/to empower women in lower income areas/populations.
Tariffs and the affordability gap in mobile telephone services in latin ameri...ACORN-REDECOM
This study analyzes the cost of a low volume basket of mobile telephony services in Latin America and the Caribbean, and
compares results against other regions. The main purpose is to monitor tariff trends as markets mature and estimate service
affordability for lower-income users. We develop an affordability gap estimator to measure service affordability at different
income levels. Overall, the results reveal that mobile telephony tariffs in Latin America are significantly higher than those of
OECD countries and other emerging markets. High tariffs result in low levels of affordability for users at the bottom of the
pyramid. High penetration levels in the region therefore contrast with low levels of usage and persistent gaps in universal
access among low-income households. Several recommendations are put forth to increase competition and reduce tariffs,
including the implementation of number portability, greater availability of radio spectrum, reserving frequencies for new
operators, encouraging infrastructure sharing, and reducing taxation on the mobile industry.
With US$ 107B in revenue,Latin America now accounts for 10% of the global mob...Sumit Roy
Latin America is the biggest and the most diverse of ethnic demographics in the world ,this region totals
47 countries and territories, 610M people, multiple different cultures,
languages and dialects, which means that advertising and marketing to them is the biggest of challenges .
Access to the Internet has greatly expanded and the focus should now be on the willingness and ability of citizens to use it for productive purposes. The digital divide is now an issue that goes beyond the access gap, but also to be broadened to include underpinning divides, such as quality of access—the speed—and the ability to use it, if efforts to close the gap are to create real benefits. Our latest report Redefining Digital Divide reconsidered the nature of the digital divide and examined the strategies to overcome it in different countries. Download the full report on http://bit.ly/1a2p1iG
Liberation from Location: Ericsson ConsumerLab Insight Report, Latin America ...Ericsson Latin America
Communication is a quintessential need. We meet it by being accessible to our friends, family and extended community in person and more often nowadays, online. Being able to make decisions on-the-go using relevant content that is accessible anytime, anywhere has assumed paramount importance among consumers. This Ericsson ConsumerLab Latin America study highlights the connectivity expectations of consumers as they go about their lives.
This upload is an article in InterMEDIA, July 2019 (www.iicom.org) by Russell Southwood, Balancing Act and Steve Song. It looks at the crisis in African telecoms and internet regulation and suggest a number of different approaches that might help overcome current barriers to wider access.
Wireless providers will need to adjust their strategies to accelerate innovation, cement customer relationships and improve operational efficiency to maintain revenue and profit growth.
Research done while in PwC Mexico. A short version was included in the PwC publication "Future of Pacific Alliance", presented at the presidential summit of Chile on July 2016.
Telecommunications is at the heart of the digital economy, driving and enabling the changing consumer behaviors and demands that have transformed how people consume products and services across many sectors. However, digitization is as much a struggle for Telcos as it is for traditional organizations in many industries.
Our latest survey of over 5700 mobile consumers in the US and Europe has found, for example, that consumers are discontented with their operators.
Similar to Mobile Opportunities: Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean (20)
Presentación elaborada por la Dra. Judith Mariscal y María Angélica Martínez para la conferencia TPRC, realizada el 27 de septiembre de 2013 en Washington DC.
Presentación de Jorge Bossio (LaMula.pe) para el taller de jóvenes investigadores de DIRSI. El taller se realizó el 16 de mayo de 2012 en Santiago de Chile.
El siguiente trabajo realiza un aporte a la medición del avance de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC) a nivel empresarial en el sector de servicios de Colombia. En primer lugar, se presenta la elaboración de un índice compuesto IUPITIC (Índice de Uso, Preparación e Impacto de las TIC) construido principalmente sobre la base de la Encuesta Anual de Servicios EAS 2008. En segundo lugar, se estima un modelo sobre los determinantes de la adopción de las TIC en servicios, hallando los signos esperados por la literatura en las variables explicativas consideradas. En tercer lugar, se analiza un modelo de productividad laboral de las empresas de servicios que incluye la incidencia de la inversión y uso de las TIC diferenciando por tamaño de empresas, donde los resultados indican que éstas producen un incremento en la productividad. Por último, se replican los modelos estimados para el caso del sector restaurante y hoteles.
As características de oferta são um indicador chave no desempenho do mercado de banda larga de acesso à Internet. Preço, qualidade, opções existentes contratantes e outras características de oferta também são um determinador importante dos níveis de serviço de adoção em residências e empresas. Este trabalho analisa as características dos serviços de banda larga oferecidos na América Latina e no Caribe. A análise é baseada em uma pesquisa conduzida em 24 países da região, com as principais operadoras de banda larga móvel e fixa em cada mercado, e por fim, é comparada com os países da OCDE. Os dados são referentes ao 2º trimestre de 2011 e são comparados aos da mesma pesquisa do 2º trimestre de 2010
This paper analyzes the characteristics of broadband services offered in Latin America and the Caribbean. The analysis is based on a survey conducted in 24 countries of the region, to the leading operators of mobile and fixed broadband in each market, and was then compared to OECD countries. Data refers to Q2 2011, and comparisons are made against the same survey in Q2 2010.
Este trabajo se focaliza en medir el grado de adopción de las TIC en las empresas de servicios de Colombia, a partir de índices compuestos y luego investigar cuáles son los factores determinantes de la difusión de las TIC en las empresas de servicios, así como el impacto de las TIC (tanto en términos de inversión como de uso) en la productividad laboral.
En suma, el Perú ha cambiado en los últimos años gracias a la comunicación por TIC. Sin embargo, no se han visto esfuerzos de gran envergadura impulsados por el Gobierno para permitir la interconexión de la ciudadanía. A excepción de pequeños proyectos sectoriales y desconectados como el Proyecto Huascarán, Una Laptop por Niño o el mismo Fondo de Inversión en Telecomunicaciones (FITEL), no existe aún un proyecto país para brindar TIC de calidad a los hogares peruanos.
Este hecho es ciertamente preocupante en la medida que, dados los resultados obtenidos en el presente trabajo mediante el método de Propensity Score Matching, el acceso conjunto a estos medios puede incrementar el ingreso promedio per cápita del hogar en 105 Nuevos Soles. Más aún, el solo acceso a telefonía fija o móvil, o Internet puede aumentar el ingreso promedio per cápita del hogar en 19, 132 o 365 Nuevos Soles. Los resultados de datos de panel con efectos fijos muestran que la telefonía móvil y el Internet presentan un efecto, aunque menor, positivo sobre el nivel ingreso, de 28 y 104 Nuevos Soles respectivamente. Ambos servicios, de manera conjunta, aumentan el ingreso en 216 Nuevos Soles.
40
Asimismo, la importancia de las TIC se evidencia también en el hecho de que diversos países ya las han incluido dentro de sus planes nacionales de desarrollo. Como ejemplos recientes están Brasil y Estados Unidos. Brasil, a finales del 2009, ha incorporado dentro de su plan nacional de crecimiento el subsidio al Internet de Banda Ancha para que cualquier hogar pueda acceder a una conexión mínima en sus hogares. Estados Unidos, a principios del 2010, ha publicado su Plan Nacional de Banda Ancha, en donde asegura que, en este Gobierno, cada estadounidense tendrá acceso a Internet de alta velocidad en su domicilio. Ellos son algunos ejemplos que deberían ser considerados en el diseño de políticas, considerando la importancia que las TIC tienen en el crecimiento económico.
No obstante, los resultados también muestran una situación interesante. La telefonía fija no se presenta más como un instrumento para el incremento del bienestar económico del hogar, en tanto su efecto es no significativo. En ese sentido, medidas de política social y regulatoria deberían enfocarse en la promoción de paquetes de Internet y telefonía móvil que no se vean atados al requerimiento de la telefonía fija. Asimismo, el incremento de la penetración de Internet en la vivienda debería ser una prioridad en las políticas sociales que persigan los nuevos gobiernos, dado que el acceso a la telefonía móvil es grande en la actualidad. En ese sentido, programas de banda ancha a bajo costo deberían ser más exhaustivamente examinados, como el puesto en marcha por el estado de Sao Paulo desde el 16 de octubre del 2009, denominado “Programa Banda Ancha Popular”, que ofrece conexiones de 256 Kbps a un costo de R$ 29,8 o US$ 16 mensuales aproximadamente (incluidos módem e instalación).
Finalmente, políticas sectoriales deberían to
Innovation is a productive process which relies on human resources and investment
in capital assets procurement, machinery and/or equipments intended for technological
development and innovation activities. If the production function at the microeconomic
level is the relationship between productive factors and output, capital allocated to ICT
can be taken as another productive factor, in the same way as capital, work and human
capital. The relative ease of access to ICT, due to their fast price reduction and quality
increase, and to the fact that they are considered general purpose technologies, have led
various scholars to propose that ICT, due to their effect on cost reductions of coordination
among individuals and firms, may produce a change in firm structure. Likewise, innovation
also has an effect on productivity, mainly through total factor productivity but also by
interacting with other factors such as capital or human capital. This innovation refers
to technologically new processes and products, either at firm, local, country or global
level. The emphasis on novelty does not mean to make more of the same, but to expand
human knowledge frontier, observing that what is novel may also be applied at firm or
country level. Therefore, when we speak about innovation, we must understand that what
is new for a particular country may not be new at international level.
the analysis of the National Survey of Science, Technology and Innovation
2004 (Encuesta Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación) by CONCYTEC (2005)
reports the following facts. First, the proportion of firms that perform SCTel activities is
low, and the activities are concentrated in metropolitan Lima. The mega and large firms
are the firms with more initiatives in this field. These activities are developed in different
sectors, emphasizing food, beverage and tobacco, mining, commerce and petroleum.
Second, availability of R&D formal units decreases as firm size decreases. Third, the
main application of R&D spending activities is experimental research, then applied
research and, lastly, basic research. Also, firm R&D investment is mainly financed by own
resources. Fourth, most firms have computers and access to the Internet, although the
proportion is less for small and medium size enterprises. The access to ICT is significant,
but it varies depending on technology sophistication level and firm size. Fifth, part of
innovation activities is oriented towards product innovation and organization. Moreover,
innovations have shown a higher novelty grade in the framework of the firm itself and/
or local market. Sixth, Peru innovation capacity faces big challenges ahead. In general,
lack of access to financing and high cost of training are two main obstacles for innovation
activities across all firm categories.
In this perspective, this study has two main purposes: i) to report indicators of science,
technology and technological innovation, cooperation and ICT in Peru; and ii) to
provide evidence on the effect of SCTel activities and ICT on profitability in Peruvian
manufacturing firms. This study is organized as follows. Section 2 shows some indicators
of technological innovations and ICT use. Then, Section 3 displays evidence related
to economic performance of manufacturing firms. Section 4 presents the conceptual
framework and empirical approach, and Section 5 discusses econometric results.
Los artículos reunidos en la publicación buscan entender la dinámica de la evolución y revolución de las TIC, así como producir evidencias sobre su potencial para promover el desarrollo socioeconómico. Como tal, el análisis de microdatos procedentes de Encuestas Nacionales de Hogares y Encuestas Nacionales de Innovación en América Latina, ambas fuentes de información estadística, ofrecen posibilidades atractivas para investigar no solo los factores determinantes de las actividades de innovación y difusión de la tecnología, sino también sus impactos económicos.
De manera general, los artículos sobre el acceso, uso e impacto de las TIC en hogares demuestran los avances alcanzados a partir del proceso de homologación de microdatos, trabajo que ha permitido la elaboración de investigaciones desde una perspectiva comparada, sobre el avance de la Sociedad de la Información en los países de América Latina. En el caso de las encuestas de empresas se destacaron los avances en la discusión teórica y empírica sobre el impacto de las TIC en el sector productivo por medio de diferentes estudios de caso. Para la elaboración de los artículos sobre TIC e innovación se trabajo en forma coordinada con la red Diálogo Regional sobre Sociedad de la Información (DIRSI).
La publicación que reúne estudios econométricos sobre el acceso, uso e impacto de las TIC en hogares y empresas, es el informe final del proyecto “Observatorio para la Sociedad de la Información en América Latina y el Caribe (OSILAC)", llevado a cabo por la División de Desarrollo Productivo y Empresarial de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), de las Naciones Unidas, con el apoyo financiero del Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo (CIID-IDRC).
(texto de Mariana Balboni)
The present study analyzes the relationship between ICT investments and productivity
in the Colombian manufacturing industry. It uses information from the second Survey
of Development and Technological Innovation (Encuesta de Desarrollo e Innovación
Tecnológica - EDIT) performed in 2005. The EDIT survey asks about investment
decisions on innovation and technological development, amounts invested, reasons
for investing, occupation level and quality of employed personnel, financing
mechanisms and loan commitments, effect of innovation, among others. Due to
the fact that the EDIT did not pose questions on firm performance variables, we
use complementary data from the Annual Manufacturing Survey (Encuesta Anual
Manufacturera - EAM) of 2004.
En un contexto de dinamismo tecnologico y convergencia, donde la banda ancha (accesos a Internet de alta velocidad) ha tomado el protagonismo para la formulación de políticas públicas, este estudio busca revisar las políticas, planes y agendas de los países de la región en cuanto a la universalización del acceso a los servicios de telecomunicaciones. Este esfuerzo se realiza sobre la base de información recogida en agosto de 2010 así como de la importante evaluación realizada por REGULATEL en 2006 sobre fondos para el acceso universal. Encontramos que más países han constituido fondos y que se ha diversificado la fuente de financiamiento; además, casi todos los países cuentan con alguna forma de agenda digital, pero solamente Brasil ha publicado un ambicioso plan de desarrollo de la banda ancha que contiene objetivos de universalización, mientras Perú se encuentra en un proceso participativo de formulación del plan.
Este artículo examina el estado de la banda ancha móvil en la región latinoamericana así como las oportunidades y desafíos que presenta su mayor desarrollo. La banda ancha móvil presenta grandes beneficios que incluso sobrepasan a los de la banda ancha fija. El acceso a los beneficios de internet seguramente será democratizado por el empleo de dispositivos móviles. Sin embargo, existen diversos retos por afrontar. Estos incluyen resolver los temas regulatorios pendientes en América Latina. Se requiere eliminar las barreras de entrada al sector, empezando por las barreras institucionales ya que el diseño e implementación de políticas poco transparentes y flexibles limitan la adopción de estas nuevas tecnologías y con ello mantienen la exclusión digital. La tecnología de banda ancha móvil brinda una gran oportunidad para el crecimiento económico y social de la región. El papel de las autoridades es no limitar estas oportunidades; por ello, licitar espectro radioeléctrico, promover la inclusión y la inversión, e intervenir sólo en casos en los que existan claras fallas de mercado.
More from Dialogo regional sobre Sociedad de la Información (20)
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
When stars align: studies in data quality, knowledge graphs, and machine lear...
Mobile Opportunities: Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean
1. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mobile Opportunities:
Poverty and Mobile Telephony
in Latin America and the
Caribbean
Hernán Galperin
Judith Mariscal
DIRSI
November 2007
2. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mobile Opportunities:
Poverty and Mobile Telephony
in Latin America and the
Caribbean
Hernán Galperin
Judith Mariscal
DIRSI
November 2007
This work was carried out with the financial
support from a grant given to the Instituto de
Estudios Peruanos (IEP) from the International
Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.
3. Abstract
Access to telephony for low-income groups is
largely based on different strategies of mobile
telephony usage. The main goal of this research
project is to explore the strategies employed by
the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean to
access and use mobile telephony services, as well
as to identify the major market and regulatory
barriers for increased penetration and usage. More
generally, it seeks to contribute to the discussion
on how access to mobile telephony contributes to
improving the livelihoods of the poor –what we
call mobile opportunities.
Our results show that mobile telephony is highly
valued by the poor as a tool for strengthening
social ties and for increased personal security, and
that it is beginning to prove useful for enhancing
business and employment opportunities. Overall,
the survey results suggest that the acquisition
of mobile phones by the poor has an economic
impact reflected mainly in improved social
capital variables such as the strengthening of trust
networks and better coordination of informal job
markets. These findings reveal the continued need
to develop innovative business models that extend
the market frontier for mobile telephony. They
also highlight the urgent need to rethink public
policies that are premised on the mobile phone
as a luxury good. Clearly, for the poor, mobile
telephony has long been the most cost-effective
and accessible alternative.
We acknowledge the valuable support of Andrea Molinari
and Fernando Ramírez in the research process. We would
also like to thank the team leaders who carried out research
in each country: Antonio Botelho (Brazil), Luis Gutiérrez
(Colombia), Hopeton Dunn (Jamaica), Roxana Barrantes
(Peru), and Kim Mallalieu (Trinidad and Tobago).
4. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean 3
Introduction
Access to communication services and to telephony
in particular has long been recognized as an
important development input. In Latin America
and the Caribbean, telephony penetration has
grown exponentially in recent years, driven to a
significant degree by mobile services. This has been
particularly relevant for the poor, who for a variety
of reasons have had limited access to traditional fixed
telephony services. For those at the bottom of the
income pyramid, access to telephony is largely based
on different strategies for using mobile telephony.
Yet empirical studies aimed at understanding the
patterns of mobile phone use by the poor, and of
communication services in general, are rare.
The main goal of this research project is to
understand the strategies employed by the poor in
Latin America and the Caribbean to access and use
mobile telephony services, as well as to identify the
major market and regulatory barriers for increased
penetration and usage. The project also attempts to
analyze the untapped commercial and public policy
opportunities associated with increased mobile
penetration among low-income groups (the so-called
bottom of the pyramid). More generally, it seeks to
contribute to the discussion on how access to mobile
telephony contributes to improving the livelihoods
of the poor –what we call mobile opportunities.
Methodology
Over 7,000 face-to-face interviews were conducted
with individuals aged 13 to 70 residing in low-income
households in the following countries:
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico,
Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. A probabilistic
sample was drawn using maps from existing
georeferenced data provided by the national
statistics office of each country. Individual
respondents were randomly selected from each
household. The goal was to obtain a representative
(and statistically independent) sample of low-income
residents of urban areas in each country,
although in one case (Jamaica), semi-rural areas
were also included. Fieldwork was conducted
between April and June 2007.
5. Key results
Our results show that the exponential growth in the mobile
telephony market in Latin America and the Caribbean has
had a significant impact on telephony access opportunities
for the poor. With the exception of Mexico, the majority
of respondents in the countries studied had used a mobile
phone in the past three months, regardless of whether or
not they actually owned one (see Figure 1). Interestingly,
the level of shared ownership was relatively low: in most
cases, users own their own handset and service. The notable
exceptions are Colombia and Peru, where a healthy service
resale market in urban areas (with very competitive tariffs)
reduces ownership incentives.
Figure 1
Mobile usage and ownership (% of total)
90
89
37
Jamaica
Colombia
T & T
Argentina
Peru
Brazil
Our results also confirm the importance of prepaid service
models for a population with fluctuating incomes and limited
insertion in the formal economy. Overall, low-income
mobile users prefer prepaid plans (see Figure 2). However,
in a developed mobile telephony market like Argentina, the
solid performance of mixed plans (which combine a low
fixed monthly fee with top-ups for extra credit) illustrate the
potential of commercial innovations specifically targeting
the poor.
Figure 2
Prepaid plans (% of total)
74
92
90
98
96
96
96
0 20 40 60 80 100
Jamaica
Brazil
T & T
Peru
Mexico
Colombia
Argentina
This preference for prepaid plans is based on two factors, as
illustrated in Figure 3. The main motive is spending control:
users value the ability to purchase credit when they have cash
in hand, rather than committing to a fixed monthly charge.
The other factor is cost: users perceive prepaid plans to be
cheaper than post-paid plans. This counterintuitive result
must be interpreted carefully. On the one hand, there seems
to be information problems that prevent users from making
accurate comparisons of per-minute costs between prepaid
and post-paid plans. On the other hand, users are simply
referring to total monthly costs based on their particular
usage basket, which tends to be well below the post-paid
service packages offered by the operators.
Figure 3
Reasons for opting for prepaid mobile service (in %)
31
32
33
26
35
38
29
34
41
41
46
52
47
0 10 20 30 40 50
T & T
Brazil
Argentina
Mexico
Colombia
Jamaica
Peru
I can control my mobile spending better It is cheaper
61
60 70
53
60
70
86
30
42
63
61
83
94
37
0 20 40 60 80 100
Mexico
Owners Users
6. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean
Interestingly, most users think mobile services are neither
cheap nor expensive, although the percentage of users who
consider the service expensive tends to be higher in markets
with lower ownership rates, such as Mexico, Peru and most
notably, Brazil (see Figure 4).
Figure 4
Mobile service cost perception (in %)
35
34
18
Argentina
T & T
Peru
Colombia
Mexico
Jamaica
For the poor, service affordability remains a key barrier for
increased adoption of basic as do value-added services. This
is confirmed by responses from non-users, who cite cost as
the main reason for non-adoption of mobile telephony, as
shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5
Reasons for not owning a mobile phone (in %)
5
20
21
28
32
32
34
23
40
38
46
0 10 20 30 40
Mexico
Peru
Brazil
Jamaica
Argentina
T&T
Colombia
52
49
56
I don’t think having a mobile of my own is necessary I can’t afford it
56
50 60
12
31
16
10
17
14
34
21
28
35
26
0 10 20 30 40
Brazil
Very cheap or cheap Neither cheap nor expensive
54
45
51
55
57
68
38
50 60 70 80
Expensive or very expensive
7. Overall, we find that the poor highly value mobile services.
This is not surprising given the lack of alternatives,
particularly traditional fixed telephony services. Most
respondents are willing to spend significant amounts on
handsets, with averages ranging from USD 53 in Peru to
USD 68 in Argentina. In fact, our results show that the
informal market for second-hand handsets is relatively small
(see Figure 6). Rather, the real driver of increased adoption
is the trickle-down effect of handset replacement from the
top of the income pyramid: in the more developed markets
such as Argentina, over a third of respondents had obtained
handsets as a gift from an acquaintance or family member.
Figure 6
Owners who bought a new handset (in %)
86
86
83
Jamaica
T & T
Peru
Mexico
Argentina
Colombia
It is well known that existing tariff levels, combined with
the calling party pays (CPP) system, lead low-income users
to limit use of mobile phones for outgoing calls. Our results
show that most users in Latin America average less than one
call per day (see medians in Figure 7), whereas outgoing call
levels are higher in Caribbean countries, where tariffs are
more affordable. These results also explain the preference for
prepaid plans, since most operators do not offer fixed-rate
plans for such low volumes of outgoing calls.
Figure 7
Total outgoing calls per week (average and median)
25
7 7
30
25
20
15
10
5
A surprising result is that the number of incoming calls is
only slightly higher than that of outgoing calls, with the sole
exception of Jamaica. Contrary to the common perception
that poor users receive many calls but make very few, we
find that volumes of incoming and outgoing calls tend to be
closely related, as Figure 8 demonstrates.
Figure 8
Incoming calls over total calls (in %)
52
51
50
55
Jamaica
Peru
T & T
Argentina
Colombia
Mexico
In addition to making a very limited number of outgoing
calls, the poor utilize other cost-control strategies that involve
so-called ‘beeping,’ or simply not making outgoing calls for
a period of time. In fact, in most of the countries studied,
over a third of respondents had not made a single outgoing
call in the week preceding the survey (see Figure 9).
80
76
98
97
0 20 40 60 80 100
Brazil
Average Median
11 10
5
17
13
5
7 7
5
10
22
0
T & T Jamaica Colombia Brazil Argentina Peru Mexico
50
67
55
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Brazil
80
8. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean
Figure 9
Most common cost-reduction strategies (% of users)
33
23
60
50
40
30
20
10
Our results reveal that the poor represent a significant
market for mobile operators, with higher than expected
average per capita expenditure. As shown in Figure 10,
average monthly spending on mobile telephony services in
Latin America ranges from USD 6.1 in Colombia to USD
15.7 in Mexico, while in Caribbean nations expenditure
levels are considerably higher.
Figure 10
Average monthly spending on mobile telephony (USD)
7
16
12
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
7 6
Peru Colombia
11
0
Mexico Brazil Argentina
57
51
57
50
25
16
32
44
21
47
0
Argentina Brazil Colombia Jamaica Mexico Peru
Only used the mobile to receive calls Beeping
70
61
26
T & T
9. While accurate income data are difficult to obtain in this
type of survey, our estimates reveal that average spending
on mobile telephony as a percentage of income ranges from
3.2% in Brazil to 6.3% in Argentina, however, in some cases,
users may spend well above 10% of their monthly income
on mobile telephony services. We also found that demand
for mobile services at the bottom of the pyramid appears to
be rather inelastic with respect to tariff variations, although
price elasticity tends to rise with income levels. In general,
poor users highly value the few calls they make or receive and
would not significantly change usage patterns in the event of
price increases. However, for some users, there appears to be
a threshold point after which they would simply stop using
their mobile phones (see Figure 11).
Figure 11
If the cost of using a mobile phone doubled… (in %)
21
9
T&T
Argentina
Mexico
Brazil
Jamaica
Peru
At the same time, our results confirm that current tariff
levels represent a significant deterrent to use: most users
would significantly increase their consumption of mobile
telephony services if the costs were reduced, as shown in
Figure 12.
Figure 12
If the cost of using a mobile phone were halved… (in %)
41
84
83
83
82
78
77
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Brazil
Argentina
Mexico
Peru
Colombia
T & T
Jamaica
I would increase my phone usage
90
Although lower than expected, income elasticity of mobile
telephony usage also appears significant in some cases, such
as in Peru (see Figure 13).
Figure 13
If your income doubled… (in %)
43
Peru
Colombia
Jamaica
Brazil
Argentina
T & T
Meanwhile, despite increased adoption, users are not
taking full advantage of the services enabled by the mobile
platform. Text messaging (SMS) is the only service beyond
voice that is rapidly being adopted across the region. In the
20
22
36
9
11
8
9
16
23
34
24
29
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Colombia
I would not change my phone usage I would stop using my phone
30
34
42
37
68
47
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Mexico
I would increase my phone usage
10. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean
more developed markets such as Jamaica and Argentina, the
large majority of low-income mobile phone users have used
SMS services. However, factors such as literacy levels seem
to have deterred adoption in other countries, notably Brazil
(see Figure 14).
Figure 14
SMS use among mobile phone users (in %)
45
53
Argentina
Jamaica
Mexico
T & T
Peru
Colombia
As shown in Figure 15, the main reason mentioned for
not using SMS services is lack of knowledge, which is not
surprising given that most respondents are relatively new
users (two years or less). In fact, our results suggest that
adoption of services beyond voice increases over time, as
users advance along the technological learning curve.
Figure 15
Main reason for not using SMS services
9
36
44
46
67
91
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Brazil
34
37
42
39
38
53
57
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
T&T
Peru
Jamaica
Mexico
Brazil
Argentina
Colombia
I don’t know how to use SMS
11. In most markets, the current structure of tariffs creates
incentives for intensive use of SMS as a cost-control
strategy. As shown in Figure 16, the volume of SMS usage
is significantly higher than the volume of voice calls,
particularly in markets with high SMS adoption rates, such
as Argentina.
Figure 16
Total outgoing SMS per week (average and median)
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
13
10 9 8
4 5 5
Aside from text messaging and voice services, low-income
users make little use of mobile telephony services. In the
more developed mobile markets such as Jamaica and Trinidad
and Tobago, there is some usage related to downloading ringtones
and participating in radio/TV games, but the use of more
sophisticated services such as banking and government
services is practically non-existent. This represents an
interesting opportunity for the delivery of information and
transaction services by the government as well as market
actors, given the relatively high level of penetration of this
transaction platform among the poor.
As mentioned, the main perceived benefit of mobile use
among the poor is improved communication with family
and friends. This is consistent with the fact that most mobile
calls are made to or received from friends and family, followed
by work-related calls, as illustrated by Figures 17 and 18.
Figure 17
Destination of outgoing calls (in %)
100
80
60
40
20
Figure 18
Origin of incoming calls (in %)
100
80
60
40
20
In other words, as illustrated by Figure 19, the main
value associated with mobile phones is the strengthening
of existing ties, although increased personal security (in
emergencies, for example) is also frequently mentioned
as a major benefit. Increased business opportunities also
appear to be an important factor, particularly for longer-term
users. In the case of Mexico and Peru, it is interesting
to note that those who use mobile phones for work-related
reasons tend to have higher call volumes. Overall, our results
suggest that the economic impact of mobile adoption by
the poor is mediated by social capital variables such as the
strengthening of trust networks and improved coordination
of informal job markets.
33
26
14
8
20
8
5
0
Argentina Mexico T & T Jamaica Peru Colombia Brazil
Average Median
0
Argentina Brazil Colombia Mexico Peru T&T
Workplace Friends Relatives in the country Others
0
Argentina Brazil Colombia Mexico Peru T&T
Workplace Friends Relatives in the country Others
12. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean 11
Figure 19
Perceived benefits associated with mobile use (in %)
0 20 40 60 80
Colombia
47
43
42
71
69
65
37
43
0 20 40 60 80
73
73
56
49
0 20 40 60 80
0 20 40 60 80
Jamaica
65
54
64
45
46
44
38
31
0 20 40 60 80
Mexico
29
48
40
27
0 20 40 60 80
Peru
30
52
14
26
0 20 40 60 80
Argentina
Family
Friends
Emergencies
Work
Family
Friends
Emergencies
Work
Family
Family
Friends
Emergencies
Work
Trinidad and Tobago
Brazil
Family
Friends
Emergencies
Work
Family
Friends
Emergencies
Work
Family
Friends
Emergencies
Work
Friends
Emergencies
Work
13. Finally, our results revealed that beyond mobile networks,
the poor have limited access to other communication
platforms (see Figure 20). With the notable exception of
Colombia, most respondents lack fixed telephony services
in their homes, confirming the unequal distribution of
traditional fixed networks as compared with new mobile
telephony networks.
Figure 20
Mobile and fixed telephony ownership (in %)
96 96 87
70
81 80
62
43 39
37 38
31
15
63
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
T & T Jamaica Argentina Brazil Mexico Colombia Peru
Mobile owners Fixed owners
A similar pattern is found with respect to internet access.
With the exception of Peru, the poor seem relatively
uninterested in the internet, although usage tends to rise
among the younger population. Interestingly, the factors
that explain the lack of internet usage by the poor are only
partly related to affordability or infrastructure availability,
since in most urban areas access is widespread via public
internet centres (such as cyber cafés), which offer relatively
inexpensive hourly access (at least compared with per-minute
mobile tariffs). Our results reveal that the poor
simply perceive no benefit in using the internet, with the
exception of a small percentage of youth who consider it
useful for school purposes and for keeping in touch with
friends. This represents a red flag for policymakers who
promote universal access policies and who frequently focus
on internet/PC shared-access programs. For the poor, the
mobile phone has become a much more important and
familiar platform than the internet.
14. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean 13
Our results also show that public phones –often overshadowed
by other priorities in universal access programs such as
telecentres– continue to play a significant role for the poor,
often as a complement to mobile services (see Figure 21).
Cost, convenience and simply the lack of other options
are the reasons most often mentioned by the poor for the
continued use of public phones (see Figure 22), despite the
increased availability of and access to mobile telephony.
Figure 21
Use of public telephony in the last month (in %)
3
3
33
33
33
Peru
Brazil
Mexico
Colombia
Argentina
Figure 22
Reason for using a public payphone (in %)
49
55
64
70
46
6
9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
T & T
Public telephones or non-specialized commercial establishments
Commercial establishments specialized in telephone service
100
80
60
40
20
0
Argentina Brazil Colombia Mexico Peru T&T
Lower cost Easy access Privacy Lack of other options Other
15.
16. Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean 15
Conclusion
The goal of this report was to contribute to the
discussion on how access to mobile telephony
contributes to improving the livelihoods of the poor
in Latin America and the Caribbean –what we call
mobile opportunities. Our results show that mobile
telephony is highly valued by the poor as a tool for
strengthening social ties and for increased personal
security, and that it is beginning to prove useful for
enhancing business and employment opportunities.
Overall, the survey results suggest that the acquisition
of mobile phones by the poor has an economic
impact reflected mainly in improved social capital
variables such as the strengthening of trust networks
and better coordination of informal job markets.
Given their limited access to traditional fixed
telephony, the poor attribute a significant
improvement in quality of life to mobile access.
Demand for mobile services at the bottom of the
income pyramid appears to be rather inelastic with
respect to tariff variations. The significant level
of expenditure on mobile handsets and services
found among these low-income populations is also
consistent with the numerous benefits perceived
by users. Nonetheless, there are still barriers that
discourage the poor from acquiring mobile phones.
In countries like Mexico, Brazil and Peru, a majority
of the poor still cannot afford a mobile phone,
although many rely on informal resellers and
family or friends to make or receive calls. Those
who can afford their own mobile phone make little
use of voice and other services, tightly controlling
their expenditure and frequently relying on public
payphones for outgoing calls.
These findings reveal the continued need to develop
innovative business models that extend the market
frontier for mobile telephony. They also highlight
the urgent need to rethink public policies that are
premised on the mobile phone as a luxury good. For
the poor, mobile telephony has long been the most
cost-effective and accessible alternative.
Since affordability is the most significant barrier
to extending the reach of mobile services, as
well as the range of services offered to the poor,
priority should be placed on policies aimed
at reducing tariffs. Enhancing competition
through increased spectrum allocation, reducing
taxation levels, and implementing number
portability are among the initiatives worth
considering. Tariff reductions need not penalize
operators. Our results show ample room for
win-win initiatives that increase overall traffic
and create new commercial opportunities for
operators and third-party service providers,
ranging from simple information to more
complex transaction services.
Along these lines, our results also reveal that users
are rarely taking full advantage of the services
offered by the mobile platform. Text messaging
is the only service beyond voice that is rapidly
being adopted. Many of the applications that
could most benefit the poor, such as m-banking
and m-government, are still in their infancy in
the region.
Taking advantage of the poverty-reduction
opportunities created by the widespread
adoption of mobile phones among the poor will
require a concerted effort between market actors
and governments. As users advance along the
technological learning curve, and handset prices
continue to drop, these mobile opportunities
should continue to increase.
17. Contact information:
Hernán Galperin hgalperin@udesa.edu.ar
Judith Mariscal judith.mariscal@cide.edu
info@dirsi.net www.dirsi.net
Editing: Kristin Keenan
Layout: Carlos Abril
Photographs: Aldo Arozena / Kim Mallalieu