Colombo, Sri Lanka. 19 December 2005: Sixteen per cent of the revenues of Bangladesh’s Grameen Phone come from four per cent of customers. And they are not the most affluent people; they are village phone ladies. This is one of the key findings of recent research conducted by LIRNEasia.
LIRNEasia, an Asian research organization based in Colombo with a particular focus on issues relating to ICTs and development, today released a study titled, “An Investigation of the Replicability of a Microfinance Approach to Extending Telecommunications Access to Marginal Customers” which indicates that the widespread perception that it is not economical to serve “marginal customers”/ the poor is a myth. “The results of this research underscore the fact that the poor are a good investment; that developmental and business goals are not incompatible; and that a carefully structured, prudent mix of the two can result in a “win-win” outcome for all,” said Ms Malathy Knight John, the leader of the research team……
English Press release: Systematic use of telecom franchisees can help tap fortune at the bottom of the pyramid – Lessons from Grameen
