Comments on: Village Phone facing obsolence in Bangladesh http://lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/ LIRNEasia Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:16:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: samarajiva http://lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/#comment-72 samarajiva Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:30:26 +0000 http://www.lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/#comment-72 Good story: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangla_ict/message/5032 Good story: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangla_ict/message/5032

]]> By: chanuka http://lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/#comment-74 chanuka Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:09:46 +0000 http://www.lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/#comment-74 If the Village Phone model is obsolete in Bangladesh because more Bangladeshis can now afford their own phones, let it be. The project had served its purpose in Bangladesh and now the time is may be to discontinue. In development, there is nothing like 'free sizes'. The projects should be designed according to the requirements of the environment. Timing too is an important factor. It is not a surprise a model designed few years back is no more relevant. It is not the fault of the model. Just we need a different solution. I am sure, there are so many other places in the world where Village phone model would still be a success. If the Village Phone model is obsolete in Bangladesh because more Bangladeshis can now afford their own phones, let it be. The project had served its purpose in Bangladesh and now the time is may be to discontinue.

In development, there is nothing like ‘free sizes’. The projects should be designed according to the requirements of the environment. Timing too is an important factor. It is not a surprise a model designed few years back is no more relevant. It is not the fault of the model. Just we need a different solution.

I am sure, there are so many other places in the world where Village phone model would still be a success.

]]> By: harsha de silva http://lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/#comment-75 harsha de silva Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:03:47 +0000 http://www.lirneasia.net/2007/08/village-phone-facing-obsolence-in-bangladesh/#comment-75 i interviewed prof yunus yesterday for our biz1st in focus show on mtv sri lanka to be airred on friday 24 august. and this issue was discussed at length. he was under no illusion that the importance of the village phone ladies was diminishing as the article points out and for the same reasons given therein. the question is no longer about phone ladies. that story happened in a different era and helped prof yunus win the well deserved nobel. the question now is how will the newfound access to information via mobile phones transfrom the lives of the billions at the bottom of the pyramid in bangladesh and the rest of the world. how will the mobile phone bring money to the pockets of those who have a device? what has to happen in the content arena, what has to happen in the policy and regulatory arena and so on. we at LIRNEasia plan to get in to research in this space in our next cycle; what does it mean to convert the mobile phone from what we use it today to what it will be used for tomorrow as a transaction device. prof yunus had some very intersting observations about this discussion calling it [mobile plus device] an aladin's lamp! i will figure out a way to link the show to our site after the 24th. before i close back to the village phone program. a LIRNEasia study by zainudeen and knight-john in 2005 indicated that there were several [braodly speaking] institutional reasons that helped the program succeed besides micro-credit; these included a massive bulk discount to the the village phone program by the network operator grameen phone, without which success at replicability was not guaranateed. i interviewed prof yunus yesterday for our biz1st in focus show on mtv sri lanka to be airred on friday 24 august. and this issue was discussed at length. he was under no illusion that the importance of the village phone ladies was diminishing as the article points out and for the same reasons given therein.

the question is no longer about phone ladies. that story happened in a different era and helped prof yunus win the well deserved nobel. the question now is how will the newfound access to information via mobile phones transfrom the lives of the billions at the bottom of the pyramid in bangladesh and the rest of the world. how will the mobile phone bring money to the pockets of those who have a device? what has to happen in the content arena, what has to happen in the policy and regulatory arena and so on. we at LIRNEasia plan to get in to research in this space in our next cycle; what does it mean to convert the mobile phone from what we use it today to what it will be used for tomorrow as a transaction device.

prof yunus had some very intersting observations about this discussion calling it [mobile plus device] an aladin’s lamp! i will figure out a way to link the show to our site after the 24th.

before i close back to the village phone program. a LIRNEasia study by zainudeen and knight-john in 2005 indicated that there were several [braodly speaking] institutional reasons that helped the program succeed besides micro-credit; these included a massive bulk discount to the the village phone program by the network operator grameen phone, without which success at replicability was not guaranateed.

]]>