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A revolution in communication

When cell phones first became available in the 1980s, they were considered to be expensive playthings for business people. No one thought that they were going to change the world. People knew that the internet had the power to transform lives, but the expectation was that this would happen through the dissemination of personal computers. However, it is now predicted that by 2020, cell phones will have replaced laptops as the main point of access to the internet worldwide. So, why will more people be using cell phones than laptop computers in the future? One reason is that the price of even a fairly cheap laptop makes it inaccessible for a lot of people in developing countries. Computers rely on a regular power supply, which is a problem in many developing countries where outages are frequent, and internet connections unreliable. Cell phones, on the other hand, are cheap to buy (especially recycled ones), require little electricity for recharging, and have good access to the internet in most parts of the world via cell phone networks. It is therefore cell phones, rather than computers, which are revolutionizing life and communication in many developing countries.

How cell phones are transforming the developing world

NextDrop is an app which is now being used in rural parts of India. In many parts of the country, people rely on weekly or twice weekly deliveries of clean water. The problem is that villagers never know exactly when deliveries will take place, meaning that they waste time waiting by their village well for the water tanker to turn up. NextDrop is a simple app that sends automatic text messages to people notifying them when their next water delivery will be. It’s a simple idea which greatly improves people’s lives.

Transferring money between countries can be tricky, and this causes problems for the thousands of people who work abroad and need to send money to their families back home. A piece of software called Boom allows Mexicans who work in the US to send money back to family members in Mexico through their cell phones. Once the link is established and the software is installed on both phones, money can be transferred using a simple text message.

Cell phones are also bringing health benefits to developing countries. A project called TulaSalud in Guatemala uses cell phone technology to communicate with nurses in remote areas of the country, who are working to reduce the infant mortality rate. The software allows nurses access to their patients’ medical records wherever they are. The service provides free phone numbers that both nurses and patients can call to ask questions about health.

Maria Neander is a nurse who works on the TulaSalud project.

Before we had TulaSalud, patients’ medical records were only available........ the health center. When I went..........into the villages, I couldn’t take the records with me, so I didn’t know if a woman I was visiting had any health problems. Now I have all.........information I need.............my cell phone. It helps me monitor women during pregnancy, giving them a better chance of having a healthy baby. When I’m with a woman who is giving birth, I have phone numbers that I can use if there are any problems, so I can get help and advice about what to do. TulaSalud has definitely saved lives.