"The data highlight statistically significant variations in information access, use and preferences among key demographic segments - notably, between rural and urban respondents, men and women, people with varying levels of education and those living in different regions of the country - all of whic
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h are analyzed in this report. Furthermore, the survey shows that detailed baseline research on media use, ICT use, and communication habits and preferences can be applied directly to development work, which is illustrated in the report by a few hypothetical case studies." (Report summary, page 4)
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"Youth and young adults (15-29) are often assumed to be leaders in mobile phone use, but this is not entirely the case in Zambia. While those 15 to 29 make up the largest segment of overall mobile phone users, they do not show the highest rate of weekly (regular) users that is taken by those 30 to 4
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4. Geographic Breakdown: There are substantial differences in rates of mobile phone use among Zambia's nine provinces. These differences reflect varying levels of human development around the country, but other factors come into play. Cost Factors: When respondents were asked to agree or disagree that "using a mobile phone is expensive," 63 percent answered in the affirmative. Even those residing in high-income households were more likely to agree than disagree with the statement. The same can be said for frequent mobile users, with some 52 percent of daily users and 53 percent of regular users agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement that mobile phone use is expensive. Mobile Radio: A key feature of Zambian (and more generally, African) mobile phone use is an old-new media convergence phenomenon: handset-based radio listening. Among regular mobile users, a third said they listen to the radio via their handset on a weekly basis, and 25 percent said they listen on a daily basis. Unlike the use of mobile internet, radio listening is more evenly spread across urban and rural users. Mobile-based radio listening may also continue to expand; given that youth and young adults (YYAs) are currently the most likely to do so and thus will set the pattern going forward." (Report sumary, page 7)
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"There are increasing numbers of mobile-based projects, and donors such as the World Bank infoDev and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation continue to invest in mobiles for development (M4D). A scan of projects in the 14 focus countries for this study indicated that the most common sectors for inve
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stment are health, socio-economic development, and agriculture. There is evidence that governments are interested in using mobiles as service providers, yet there remain few actual manifestations of such intent in developing countries. Most examples are found in Asia, where concepts have been proven, and more mature mobile markets are seeking new revenue streams. Up to this point, mobile operators have tended to support M4D through concessions such as free or subsidized shortcodes and SMS tariffs, which have been negotiated as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. A feature of CSR initiatives in health, education, and child protection, for example, is that they rarely exploit technical resources held by companies. CSR departments tend to be poorly integrated with the core business, and have small budgets and limited decision-making power. Some operators would like to develop services that have a developmental impact, but also a return on investment – M4D that is revenue generating and scalable. As one interviewed thought leader in the M4D space indicated, operators are happy to work towards achieving development goals but only by “doing business as usual”." (Executive summary, page 2)
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"What is clear from the Research ICT Africa (RIA) Household and Individual Access and Usage Survey is that the diffusion of ICT is highly uneven concentrating in urban areas and leaving some rural areas almost untouched. Access to these technologies is constrained by income as is usage, and as they
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become more complex, they are increasingly constrained by literacy and education. This analysis explores the inequities of access and usage further, by viewing them through a gender lens. Of the limited demand-side data on Africa that exists, very little is disaggregated on gender lines. This study provides a descriptive statistical overview of access to ICTs by women and men and their usage of them. This is supported by focus groups that were undertaken in five of the 17 countries surveyed in East, Central, South and West Africa. The survey reveals some surprising instances where more women than men own mobile phones, such as in South Africa and Mozambique, or where women have greater knowledge of the Internet such as in Cameroon. More generally however, the study confirms the differences in access by men and women to ICTs especially where they depend on public access." (Executive summary)
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"This report highlights the latest ICT developments in the region and includes key statistical information for every country. It features a regional analysis of the ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009. The report point
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s to key policy issues in the region and provides concrete recommendations for policy makers." (Foreword)
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"This book offers a view of the cultural, family, and interpersonal consequences of mobile communication across the globe. Scholars analyze the effect of mobile communication on all parts of life, from the relationship between literacy and the textual features of mobile phones to the use of ringtone
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s as a form of social exchange, from the “aspirational consumption” of middle-class families in India to the belief in parts of Africa and Asia that mobile phones can communicate with the dead. The contributors explore the ways mobile communication profoundly affects the tempo, structure, and process of daily life around the world. The book discusses the impact of mobile communication on social networks, other communication strategies, traditional forms of social organization, and political activities. It considers how quickly miraculous technologies come to seem ordinary and even necessary; and how ordinary technology comes to seem mysterious and even miraculous. The chapters cut across social issues and geographical regions; they highlight use by the elite and the masses, utilitarian and expressive functions, and political and operational consequences. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate how mobile communication has affected the quality of life in both exotic and humdrum settings, and how it increasingly occupies center stage in people’s lives around the world." (Publisher description)
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"This paper reviews roughly 200 recent studies of mobile (cellular) phone use in the developing world, and identifies major concentrations of research. It categorizes studies along two dimensions. One dimension distinguishes studies of the determinants of mobile adoption from those that assess the i
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mpacts of mobile use, and from those focused on the interrelationships between mobile technologies and users. A secondary dimension identifies a subset of studies with a strong economic development perspective. The discussion considers the implications of the resulting review and typology for future research." (Abstract)
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"The book traces the impact of the cell phone from personal issues of loneliness and depression to the global concerns of the modern economy and the trans-national family. As the technology of social networking, the cell phone has become central to establishing and maintaining relationships in areas
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from religion to love. The Cell Phone presents the first detailed ethnography of the impact of this new technology through the exploration of the cell phone's role in everyday lives." (Publisher description)
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"Trotz der Herausforderungen bei der telefonischen Erschließung abgelegener Gegenden bietet der Besitz eines Handys für Millionen individueller Nutzer im gesamten Afrika südlich der Sahara auf jeden Fall signifikante wirtschaftliche und soziale Vorteile und Möglichkeiten. Besonders wertvoll ist,
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dass viele Bewohner in Städten wie Kigali jetzt bedeutend besseren Zugang zu elementaren telefonischen Gesprächsmöglichkeiten haben. Annettes Restaurant floriert, weil ihre Kunden Handys besitzen; der Klempner Celestine hat die Nummern seiner drei wichtigsten Bauunternehmer in seinem Handy einprogrammiert; der Taxifahrer Yousef ist glücklich, weil er mit seiner Frau den ganzen Tag über per Handy in Verbindung bleiben kann. All diese Geschichten sind im Lichte von Metcalfes Gesetz zu sehen (vgl. Gilder 2000); sie illustrieren, wie der Wert jeder netzwerkbasierten Technologie quadratisch mit der Anzahl der Benutzer dieser Technologie wächst. Je mehr Ruander Handybesitzer werden, desto stärker profitieren davon auch die bereits vorhandenen Mobil- und Festnetztelefonnutzer. Wenn sich der Anteil der Telefonbenutzer in einer Stadt in fünf Jahren verdreifacht, ergeben sich signifikante Veränderungen in den sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Netzwerken dieser Stadt. Nach Townsend (2000) definieren Mobiltelefone »die räumlichen und zeitlichen Begrenzungen aller Arten menschlicher Kommunikation neu – ganz gleich ob es dabei um die Arbeit, die Familie oder Erholung und Unterhaltung in der Freizeit geht. […] So beschleunigt sich der Stoffwechsel urbaner Systeme; Kapazitäten und Effizienz nehmen zu.« Die von Townsend festgestellte Beschleunigung ist in Kigali geradezu mit Händen zu greifen. Möglicherweise ist der von Townsend beschriebene Effekt in dieser Stadt, in der Handys oft die einzigen Telefone ihrer Besitzer sind, sogar noch deutlicher ausgeprägt als anderswo. Die Produktivitätsgewinne sind greifbar." (Zusammenfassung, Seite 53)
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"Mobile communication has an increasing impact on people's lives and society. Ubiquitous media influence the way users relate to their surroundings, and data services like text and pictures lead to a culture shaped by thumbs. Representing several years of research into the social and cultural effect
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s of mobile phone use, this volume assembles the fascinating approaches and new insights of leading scientists and practitioners. The book contains the results of a first international survey on the social consequences of mobile phones. It provides a comprehensive inventory of today's issues and an outlook in mobile media, society and their future study." (Publisher description)
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"Das Mobiltelefon hat in den letzten Jahren quer durch alle gesellschaftlichen Bereiche an Bedeutung gewonnen. Sein Einfluss manifestiert sich etwa darin, wie sich Individuen zu ihren Umgebungen in Beziehung setzen: Die alltägliche Nutzung von mobilen Diensten der Text-, Sprach- und Bildübertragun
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g lässt eine »Daumenkultur« entstehen. Dieser Band präsentiert die Ergebnisse der ersten internationalen Studie über die weitreichenden sozialen Auswirkungen mobiler Kommunikation in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen. Er versammelt die Forschungen führender Wissenschaftler und Praktiker und leuchtet die Verbindung von mobilen Medien und Gesellschaft sowie Zukunftsperspektiven der Forschung aus." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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