T-T-T-Telephone

To keep up the fascination with cell phones in the developing world…

A UN report released this week finds that people in India have greater access to cell phones than toilets. International aid organizations have been pushing for greater technological access everywhere from Africa to Southeast Asia, heralding the societal advances that come from communication and access. But in the process, has the international community failed to keep up with basic necessities? Though prosperity and growth are being achieved in these now connected nations, does jumping a step on Maslow's pyramid come with consequences?

Staying connected

The majority of the world's cellphone subscriptions can be found in the developing world, and while we may be using our mobile devices to organize the next big party or just tomorrow's lunch plans, cellphones are working to cure AIDS and build communities elsewhere.

On the most basic economic level, cellphones drive business. In African communities, cash is being recirculated from cellphone user to provider and back around again. It's economics 101 come true: when products are bought and sold within a community, everyone benefits. This worked in Bangladesh and is now beginning to have an impact throughout Africa.

In the Middle East and Africa, women benefit especially from the spread of cellphones. They are able to leave their homes with the aid of cellphones, but are also able to conduct business from home — alleviating the danger and wasted time of traveling.

AIDS is being fought in Nigeria and other African nations through the simple technology of cell phones. With the ability to call hotlines for medical advice and receive reminders via SMS about taking medication, many Africans have gained a better handle on their disease and its management.

“I don’t think in any of our African countries we will be able to wait to have professionals, or to have enough of those people,” said the executive director of UNAIDS. “It is time to reinforce our capacity to use the modern technology differently.”

World crises have demonstrated how Twitter can save the day. Cellphones in developing nations are further evidence of the positive effects of global technology in promoting basic development and ultimately, prosperity,

Can you hear me now?

According to a study done by The Economist (and rereported by Foreign Policy), 75 percent of the world's cell phones are in developing nations, or, 3 of the world's 4 billion subscriptions.

Photo from Foreign Policy

[For reference, in 2008, 5.5 of the world's 6.7 billion people — 82.1 percent — lived in developing nations.]

This harkens back to a discussion from the first days of class: does the ability to buy "stuff" make a society prosperous? The answer was unclear. Technology is an obvious indicator of growth, but in which direction do the causation arrows point?

Possession of a cell phone can aid development in the most simple of ways, by reminding the owner to take medication or attend a doctor's appointment. "Even the simplest, low-end mobile phone can do so much to improve healthcare in the developing world," the International Telecommunications Union reported.

In Uganda, more people have cell phones than electricity (10 percent versus upward of a third of the population). Countless non-profits are now on the ground, trying to find ways to bring necessary services to the people through their cell phones. Health advice, weather forecasts, agricultural tips and more are being disseminated to the farthest reaches of the nation via SMS messages.

Now that the technology threshold has been breached, will development follow? Can prosperity be imparted in 160-character spurts? Traditionally, technological advancement comes from development. But with the burgeoning worldwide use of cell phones, can the path be brought full circle?