24 Mobile for Development

T. Radha

epgp books

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Communication is the bloodline of every society. It is impossible to live in this world without communication. It brings societies and communities together. It also promotes an active living and participation of the people in all the events in the world.

 

Communication allows technologies to identify the natural disasters in prior which helps in taking safety precautions. Technologies play a crucial role in spreading the communication. Many a portable and cheap technologies provide a comfort to the humanbeings.

 

Communication takes place through many technologies. Some of them include: Face book Twitter IMO, Whatsapp, Internet, E-mail, Skype Etc.

 

These technologies are portable or mobile. Therefore, these technologies are called as mobile technologies. These mobile technologies help in making easy and effective communication. Mobile technologies have become a part of the people’s basic needs inn the same way as food, clothing and shelter.

 

This module aims at analyzing the role of mobile technology with a special reference to the rural development.

 

 Mobile Technologies – Definition

 

Mobile technology is the technology that is used in cellular phones, Global Possisioning System, Smart Phones, laptops, netbook computers, tablets etc. As the name implies, they are easily portable or mobvable. Many experts argue that mobile technologies are chiefly rest in the computers, tablets and smart phones. Mobile technologies with wireless connections are increasing in number day by day. Moreover, mobile computing is done through the tablets. These tablets are available on the 3G and 4G mobile phones.

 

It is significant to note the advantages and disadvantages of mobile technologies. Advantages of mobile technologies

 

There are many advantages that the people get from the mobile technologies. As the name implies, the technologies that are mobile or movable are called as mobile technologies. They allow many provisions and services. Some of the mobile technologies that are enabled through the mobile phones or smart phones include:(Wi-Fi) – a type of wireless local area network technology which provides an easy access

  • Bluetooth – connects mobile devices wirelessly within a minute.
  • ‘third generation’ (3G), ‘fourth generation’ (4G),
  • global system for mobile communications (GSM)
  • general packet radio service (GPRS)
  • data services – data networking services for mobile phones
  • dial-up services – data networking services using modems and telephone lines
  • virtual private networks – safe and sound access to a private network.

  Mobile technologies allow portability. It requires a very minimum human effort. It simplifies the tasks of the humanbeings. This is the beauty which has been invented into the field of communication. This is the most wonderful gift to the human race.

 

One of the chief advantages of the mobile technologies is that anyone can connect the mobile device to the office through the wireless fidelity or modem. This will enable the travelers to continue their office projects even during their travelling hours. This preserves time.

 

Mobile technologies play a significant role in improving the services that we offer to our customers. For example, when meeting with customers, we can access the customers’ relationships through the mobile technologies. Moreover, it allows the customers to pay their bills for the goods and services from their places instead of travelling just to pay bills. The mobile technologies also help the managers or the authorities of companies to update the informations about their products, services and customer details, when they are away from the office.

 

One can check the available stocks such as products, check their prices and place their orders online with the help of the mobile technologies.

 

Debit and credit card payments are the chief services offered by the mobile technologies. They play a significant role in easy money transactions.

 

The growth of cloud computing is another important development in the use of mobile devices. They support more flexibility in working practices. Moreover, they also provide services over the internet.

 

The disadvantages of mobile technology

 

It is indeed true that the mobile technology has both the advantages and disadvantages. The important reason that can be considered as the disadvantage of the mobile technology is the cost concerned in the set up. The cost involved in the setting up of the design and the training that is required to make use of the mobile technology is comparatively expensive.

 

The second important disadvantage of the mobile technology is threat to security policies. The valuable data can be accessible to the unauthorized people. People demand security. If the data is not kept safe, they can be used by the others. Therefore, security policy and precautions are the great challenge as far as the mobile technologies are concerned.

 

Mobile technologies in rural areas

 

Mobile technologies play a significant role in the rural areas. They catter knowledge to the rural population. They act as a vehicle of information and communication to all the regions including the rural areas. The following are the significant role played by the mobile technologies in the rural areas.

 

The most benefit of the mobile technologies in the rural areas is that they provide direct global communication channels to the rural communities. The ruralpeople also occupy a place in the social networking and acquire the regular updates. Thereby, the mobile technologies play a great role in cattering the knowledge to the rural population.

 

The mobile technologies also help in extending the impact of established rural media such as rural radios. They help to spread informations about the importance of rural areas and the development measures that are taken place in the rural areas to all the places. Thereby, mobile technologies link or bind the rural and urban areas together under the same roof.

 

It is true that people always show much interest towards proximity. They usually show much interest towards the news concerning about the local places. Mobile technologies play a pivotal role in making the local content available. They also make the rural services more efficient , logistics, much coordinating and cost effective.

 

To top all the benefits of the mobile technologies is that they are cost effective. They are very cheap so that they can be used extensively by the poor people in the rural areas.

 

These benefits are amplified by the fact that the spread of mobile technologies have reached much faster in many rural areas including Bangladesh when compared with the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

 

Distinction between the mobile technologies and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

 

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) also play a significant role in the rural areas. But, they are unable to reach the maximum population as the mobile technologies. The important reason behind this cause is that the use of ICTs require computer skills and other trainings. Moreover, the ICTs are expensive than the mobile technologies. In adision, the use of the ICTs require a minimum English knowledge. But the mobile technologies are available in the local languages as well. In countries like Bangladesh with high rural population densities, the mobile technology has quickly become much more cost effective. It is also true that many of the farmers in the rural areas are not aware of the computer technologies but are aware of the mobile phones and mobile technologies. Moreover, in the ancient days, the people from the rural areas had to travel a long way to get to know the informations, receive messages and send communication but today with the advent of the mobile technologies they can do them all at a single touch. To stamp the maximum use of the mobile technologies, it is essential to quote a survey which was conducted on how far the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are used by the rural agrarians. It is surprising that most of the people in the particular state were not aware of Information and Communication Technologies. They were not able to understand the working of the system and were unable to follow the process. Moreover, the survey found surprisingly that many people of the state were using their mobile phones to get know the market prices. They were also used their mobile phones to update themselves about the new seeds. The survey analysed the practice and concluded that since the mobile technologies are simple to use, people take much comfort and use them to develop themselves and their state and nation as a whole. Therefore, it is indeed apt to say that the people especially the rural population tend to use the mobile technologies rather than the ICTs.

 

Novelty in mobile technologies

 

There are many innovations that are brought into the field of the mobile technologies. It chiefly aims at easy and speedy communication. Stakeholders are working in the field of mobile technologies to enhance the rural areas. It is because the mobile technology is a reliable and timely communication channel. Moreover, the contents about monitoring, markets, extension, advice, finances and health are offered by the mobile technologies. All the above contents are provided by a single device may it be a tablet or a mobile phone.

 

Another important innovation in the field of mobile technologies is that they are designed in a way that they can be accessible to the illiterate people. Mobile technologies contain images and voice options. These are very useful for the illiterate population.

 

Mobile technologies also provide a much faster communication for the sensitive and timely required informations. For example, the mobile technologies send messages at an instant about the out break of a new disease or about the natural disaster. Therefore, the mobile technologies are the easiest and fastest way of communication to the nooks and corners of the world.

 

Role of mobile technologies in the rural areas

 

Mobile technologies play a significant role in developing the rural areas. They works hand in hand with the rural service sectors such as kiosks and telecentres. Moreover, the mobile technologies together with the Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative (IFFCO) which is largest manufacturer of fertilizers help the rural population to get the adequate information about the new fertilizers and their impact.

 

Agriwatch.com is one of the portals which spreads informations about agriculture. It provides reports about the food products on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Moreover, theshakthi information kiosks which is hosted and implemented by the Shakthi Entrepreneur provides web content relating to the rural areas. They are widely accessed by the rural population in particular they can access the local news about health, education, employment, governance, personal care and entertainment. In adision, the audience can also pose queries on these subjects. Moreover, the technical questions on animal husbandry, cropping etc are analysed and solved through these technologies. .

 

Bharti Airtel Limited which is Indian farmers Fertilizers Cooperative limited) (IFFCO) is the india’s leading telecommunication services joint collaboration with Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL ) to encourage Indian agriculture and rural sector as a vehicle to make its mobile telecom services reach the rural masses

 

It was launched in the year 2008. The main purpose of this project is to provide access to the rural technologies to the rural population. It is true that the mobile technologies have the power of easy communication and they also can empower the rural farmers by giving them access to quick and current informations which will enhance the livelihood and quality of the farmers’ lives. Innovation in the telecom products and services in particular created for the farming community will improve the productivity of the farmers and thereby they play a bigger role in India’s growth story.

 

Moreover, it should be noted that the farmers can use the mobile technologies over the internet in their mobile phones. The airtell network together with the IFFCO try to maximum level to provide the network to the rural areas at a minimum cost. In about 98 percent of villages throughout the country, Airtel would be used as a vehicle to make its mobile telecom services reach the rural masses. IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd is therefore considered to be a unique undertaking to strengthen the Cooperative movement in the rural India.

 

The people of Uttar Pradesh are able to know the price of the goods and services over their mobile phones through due to the mobile technologies. The service was launched by the major State run telecom agency, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) teamed up with the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Marketing Board (Mandi Parishad) to introduce the Mandi on Mobile service for the people of the state. The service would be voice-based. To know the rates of the commodities including crops, vegetables and other items, the farmers need to dial specific number from their BSNL cellular phones and follow the given instruction subsequently. The service would immensely benefit the farmers mainly those who used to sell their agriculture products to middlemen at low prices without knowing the market rates Similarly

 

Various mobile applications includes Agriculture, Education and Entertainment services made for all customers . tools made for mobile applications Nokia Life Tools Agriculture services aim to prevent the information gaps and needs of farmers, by providing information on seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, market prices, and weather (temperature, rainfall, wind conditions) over their mobile phones. Information on weather, agriculture tips and techniques, as well as market prices are provided to improve farmers’ productivity and earnings. Farmers are empowered with tailored and reliable information in synch with the cropping cycles delivered regularly to their mobile phones.

 

Fisher friend project is another important aspect which helps the fisher community to a very great extent. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Tata Teleservices and Astute System Technology were collaborated to develop a BRFW-based mobile application, which empowers fishing communities in India. Fisher Friend is a mobile application, which provides informations to the fishers. It works on the 3G and 4G mobile phones. It provides prior informations about the coastal areas to the fishers through the app. The new application allows fishing communities to use ICT and wireless technology to earn their livelihood. Fishermen can send request form from menu-driven client software on the mobile phones. The fishermen can access vital updates on opportunities, risk and market information in their local language. Presently, the application is implemented in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Rubber is one of the natural products which is extensively produced in the state of Kerala. The Rubber Board provides the update of both national and international rates of natural rubber through SMS all over the country since the rubber farmers and dealers in India (especially Kerala State of South India) are trailing the prices of the commodity real time by SMS. The growers are helped by a service by the Rubber Board which through SMS updates the farmers with rates in the global as well as domestic markets, which is also displayed in the Rubber board’s web portal.

 

Farmers of Chandigarh (India) are using mobile phones to sort out agricultural related problems. The Haryana Agriculture Department has introduced short messaging service (SMS) for farmers. The service was available by the agriculture department’s Kissan (Farmer) call centre. More than 800 farmers had sent their inquiries through SMS service and replies had been sent by the officials’ concerned and agricultural scientists. The free of cost SMS service is available to farmers on mobile phones.

 

Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited is one of the largest private sector fertiliser producers in India. This is a dedicated farmer website uttamkrishi.com, farmer helpline- Hello Uttam and mailers such as ‘Chambal ki Chitthi’ (Letter from Chambal) are important channels to share information with the farmers. The web, phone and mobile based extension services such as; Uttamkrishi.com, Hello Uttam and Via SMS are offered to the farmers. The farmers can also sent their doubts and queries through these channels.

 

The Grameen Foundation provides some important lessons to consider when establishing mobile telephone services such as: identifying specific users’ needs, catalyzing and support strong partnerships for sustainability, building on existing technologies, providing content in local languages, providing sufficient training, marketing the benefits etc.

 

Conclusion

 

From the above content, it is true that the mobile technologies play a significant role in the development of the rural areas. It also helps in the enhancement of the rural population. Mobile technologies together with the Communication devices such as tablets or mobile phones catter the informations and communications to the rural areas as well in a much quicker time. Many non-government agencies and private agencies play a vital role in developing the mobile technologies. The reason for the much popularity of the mobile technologies is that they are designed in a way that they suit and meet the needs of the farmers particularly the illiterate people through the voice and image options.

 

From the above content, the advent of the mobile technologies make the rural areas much developed and also makes the tough task of farming and fishing and other jobs simple and worth for earning money and livelihood. Yet, There is much scope in the field of the mobile technologies. Therefore, one can conclude that the mobile technologies play a significant role in the development of the rural areas.

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