A Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) study into telephone use in developing countries has revealed that rather than bridging the gap between rich and poor, telephones have the potential to widen it.
The study, of 2 200 people from rural communities in India, Mozambique and Tanzania, concluded that those in higher status groups find telephones of "positive economic value" while those in lower status groups do not.
The study, carried out by a team of researchers on behalf of the CTO and an international research consortium, found that the higher income and better-educated brackets were more positive about the telephone`s financial and business value.
Among the lower income and less-educated groups, the telephone was viewed negatively as an economic instrument and unimportant for information gathering, possibly because this sector hardly uses the Internet, said the study authors.
In both groups, telephone use was shown to be most important for emergencies and social networking. However, face-to-face communication, like meetings, was used for more specific information. Telephones were not valued as a means of earning money.
Field research was funded by the UK Department for International Development and coordinated by Prof David Souter of ICT Development Associates, UK and the University of Strathclyde.
The report supports the development of informed policies on the role and use of ICT in development for use by service providers.
A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the CTO Web site.
Share
