Smartphones are the PCs of the developing world – tech – 01 August 2007 – New Scientist Tech
Being able to communicate in real time via speech and text using basic cellphones has already proved invaluable for communities that were never connected by landlines. Ajedi-ka, an organisation that works to promote human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, distributes phones to local teachers, elders and business leaders so that they can report incidents of children being drafted as soldiers. The phones make reporting faster and easier. Meanwhile, health workers across the developing world have started using cellphones to monitor disease outbreaks in real time. In Kenya phones are being turned into mini-ATM machines via Vodafone’s M-PESA program, which allows users to load money onto their phones in shops and then send it via a text message to someone else, in their village say. They can also withdraw the money at another location using a password, which in Kenya can be much safer than carrying cash.
Powered by ScribeFire.
2 Comments
chanuka
The issue is not whether or not mobile communication is undergoing a paradigm shift. We all know that happening and hopefully no disagreements over that.
The issue is rather *how* exactly this paradigm shift happens. In which way we transform the tool and the mode? Say in another 10 years what we will be having in our pockets? A phone camera PC PDA ebook epurse radio TV navigator…..? What exactly the change it might bring in the social context, especially in the developing countries?
We predict some developments, of course, but I am certain when happens it will take us all off guard.
zzainudeen
Full report can be downloaded at: http://www.gsmworld.com/digitaldivide/micropayments.shtml
Build Physical Spaces For Children Before Banning Virtual Ones
In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of children’s daily lives, shaping how they interact, communicate, and build friendships. In an article published in The Daily Star, LIRNEasia Senior Research Fellow Sujata Gamage examines the growing dependence of children on social media and the risks associated with these platforms.
LIRNEasia Senior Research Manager Gayani Hurulle at CATALYZE 2026
The UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka, on 24 June 2026, convened CATALYZE 2026: Social — From Commitment to Collective Impact. LIRNEasia was a session partner for “AI, Jobs & the Future Workforce: Navigating Uncertainty, Skills & Inclusion”, which explored how AI is changing workplaces and labour markets, and what these shifts mean for businesses, workers, skills and inclusion.
The Many Approaches to Caring in Ageing Societies of South and Southeast Asia
As societies grow older, their needs too evolve, with greater pressure on care systems being widely acknowledged as a critical issue. Broadly, care work involves supporting the physical, mental and development needs of people either directly or indirectly, while a care system refers to its overall organization (UN, 2024).
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific