If Tom Kalil has his way, mobile technology and services will be at the heart of American global development policy.
So says his visionary and timely new report, "Harnessing the Mobile
Revolution," published recently by NDN, the innovative Washington D.C.
policy group.
The next Administration, says Kalil, a science and technology policy
advisor at Cal Berkeley, has an unprecedented opportunity to leverage
advances and investments in the mobile sector to catalyze critical
development goals such as providing safe drinking water, new vaccines,
therapies, point-of-care diagnostics, clean energy, and improved crops
that are more productive, nutritious, and drought-resistant. And not a
moment too soon, he warns, as to date, the U.S. government has largely
overlooked the power of mobile services to help improve the human
condition. It is time, argues Kalil, for the blinders to come off.
Says Kalil: "Even in the absence of enlightened U.S. government
leadership, mobile services will become more ubiquitous, affordable and
versatile. But the missed opportunity will be to leverage this large
and growing private sector investment (in mobile technology and
services) for public purposes, such as ensuring fair elections, helping
a community health worker save the life of a mother or young child, and
giving a farmer or small business owner access to the credit they need
to build a path out of poverty."
Kalil argues that policy-makers in Washington have a historic but
limited window of opportunity to work in partnership with the private
sector to ensure that mobile technologies increasingly can be agents of
productive social, economic and political development. The use of
mobile technologies has exploded, particularly in the developing world,
where there are now more subscribers than in the developed world. Some
forecast that there will be over 5 billion mobile subscribers in the
next two years - a fact that has encouraged the development economist
Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University to conclude that "the cell phone
is the single most transformative technology for development."
Here are some of the statistics the report cites:
A rise of 10 mobile phones per 100 people is associated with a growth in GDP of 0.6 percent;
Every 1 percent increase in mobile penetration boosts foreign direct investment as a share of GDP by 0.5 percent;
Telecommunications
investment in African countries such as Kenya and Senegal accounts for
more than 10 percent of private sector investment in fixed capital;
The
mobile industry has created 3.6 million jobs in India, not only through
mobile operators, but through retail sales of airtime, handsets and SIM
cards;
Chinese workers who travel for their
work (e.g. taxi-cab drivers, plumbers, salespeople) have been able to
reduce traveling by 6 percent - a productivity payoff worth $33 billion
in 2005.
So what is to be done?
First and foremost, Kalil recommends that the U.S. government should
establish new public/private partnerships to ensure that advances in
mobile technologies and services - especially in the areas of public
health, education, civil engagement, human rights, and financial
services - can be more systematically accessed by communities which
need them most. Creative examples of these partnerships in mobile
technology have been implemented in countries like Zambia and Kenya. It
is time for American engagement and leadership as well.
Second, official donors - the U.S. included - must direct more
investment to increase the number of developing country entrepreneurs,
programmers, researchers, government agencies, and non-profit
organizations that are capable of designing and implementing mobile
applications that address local needs. Kalil also argues that the
private sector itself can do more to support the use of its
technologies and applications as vehicles for positive development.
Last, Kalil argues that governments must move quickly to lower or
eliminate the punitive taxes that have unwisely and disproportionately
targeted the mobile industry so the industry can flourish,
entrepreneurs can innovate, productive new jobs can be created, and
consumers can gain access to better and less expensive services. Mobile
and wireless technology is not a luxury and should not be taxed as
such.
Indeed, as Kalil's important paper presciently establishes, mobile
innovation is now more than a necessity; it increasingly is a vital
vehicle for improving the lives, health, and well-being of the least
powerful around the world.
Whether it's a back-to-school shopping trip or just an afternoon ski run, as
I've mentioned in previous blog posts, even when we're apart, cell phones have
enabled my family to stay close and connected with each other. And it appears
that our family is not alone.
On Sunday, the Pew Internet and American
Life Project released poll results that found that 25 percent of respondents
said cell phones and online communications made their families closer, 60
percent of adults said the new technologies did not affect the closeness of
their families and only 11 percent said the technology had a negative
effect
The year 2000 marked the first decade in which a majority of
Americans used Internet and cell phone technology. The advances in these
technologies have certainly corresponded to increases in multi-tasking and
general activity, but it has also allowed me the freedom to live my life as I
choose. Whether that means texting my daughter to see what she's up to without
being too much of a "helicopter mom," or starting a business in the mountains of
Montana - technology and cell phones have kept me close to my loved
ones.
The
Austin Wireless Alliance recently hosted its annual Texas Wireless Summit and there
is no doubt that AWA
is fulfilling its mission to bring together the key leaders in wireless from Austin and Central Texas.
Participants included representatives from the business, academic, community,
and government sectors and the presence of aspiring entrepreneurs was readily
evident.
From
the perspective of someone who is dedicated to providing youth as many
opportunities as possible for them to reach their full potential, AWA truly
sets the benchmark for other cities.
Their effort in providing an opportunity for University of Texas
engineering students to exhibit their wireless application concepts and have
them receive feedback from field practitioners is to be commended. It was indeed a pleasure to meet such bright
young people. Since my youngest son
received an engineering degree from UT, I had to contact him and let him know
that his alma mater is doing very well, not only in football, but also in
engineering.
Even
though this was the first time I have attended AWA's wireless summit, it was
evident to me that this concept can be a viable vehicle to generate business
opportunities for all sectors of the wireless industry. In discussing AWA's mission with CEO Erin
Defosse', I stressed how important it is that AWA is filling the technology
niche of the local chamber of commerce. It takes the foresight of business
leaders like these to recognize this business necessity. Through AWA, they have filled a critical
niche in the technology sector and are helping to better position Austin and Central Texas
to compete in today's global economy.
Friends, foes, competitors, partners all together in one
room all at once with one common denominator...wireless technology. But why are
they all smiling?
October 13, 1993 at Soldier's Field in Chicago the first cellular call was made in the United
States. The first network went live and while
there was excitement in the air not a single engineer, executive or reporter
could have imagined how that single call and new service would transform the
way the world works, communicates and lives.
Fast forward 25 years to the day. It's October 13,
2008, and now there are
266 million wireless subscribers in the United States. It's amazing what the
passage of a little more than two decades can do. This week, hundreds of us were in Chicago to celebrate the
first cellular call 25 years ago and also for a celebratory kick off of the
Wireless History Foundation (wirelesshistoryfoundation.org). The Wireless
History Foundation is a virtual place to record the wonders of the technology,
preserve and promote the history of wireless and to give recognition to the
innovators and those that made the wireless communications revolution happen.
So they were all there that evening: the Titans of the industry, the Who's Who of
Wireless, the Visionaries, the Pioneers of Wireless of Technology. But why are
they all smiling? Silly question!
Thanks to everyone who joined us
yesterday for the Mobile Future Elections Forum on "How Mobile Technologies are
Changing Elections." If you weren't able to attend, you can still watch
C-SPAN's coverage of the event by clinking on the link at the top of our home
page.
The event began with an introduction
from our Chairman Jonathan Spalter
and followed with a panel discussion and presentation from pollster Peter
Hart.
Some interesting highlights from the
discussion:
Mobile Future member
Jed Alpert stressed how mobile technologies are the best form of communication to reach
the most disenfranchised populations
with a real-time channel of communications to voters. This November, Jed's
company, Mobile Commons, expects to send out 1 million text messages on Election
Day on behalf of his clients.
Former Giuliani
campaign official Katie Harbath discussed how campaigns need to go beyond just text
messaging. Mobile applications like Twitter and Qik really
represent the next, important phase of communications because it enables rapid
responses. She hopes that the next class in the House and the Senate utilize
these tools to connect with constituents and interact with the
media.
Michelle Mayorga announced Rock the
Vote's new initiative
with ChaCha, a free mobile answers service, to respond to voters questions via
text message. The ChaCha Guides will provide informed, non-partisan answers to
questions like polling locations, voting deadlines, and even the candidates' positions on issues from
energy to taxation.
Casey O'Shea from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
explained that mobile technologies are not only crucial as a
campaign tool but also as a government application. During Hurricane Katrina
when O'Shea was a Chief of Staff for a Louisiana representative, constituents who were trapped
on their roof by the storm sent text
messages to relatives who then called the congressional office to coordinate
rescue efforts for their relatives. It was the first time O'Shea truly realized
the power of mobile technology and how it can save
lives.
Finally, Peter Hart's presentation
explored the latest poll findings on the election and the economy. He also discussed the effect
that cell phone-only voters are having on polling. Because the
sample of cell phone-only voters is a relatively new but growing part of the
populace, pollsters are having trouble judging their effect on the polls but are
working on ways to engage them. Additionally, a number of researchers are
attempting to predict and study the voter turn-out of cell phone-only users so that they can adjust the
polls accordingly.
On Tuesday, October 14th, Mobile Future will be hosting a forum on "How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections." The forum is a hosted luncheon open
to the public and you can rsvp by registering at www.mobilefuture.org/elections.
"How Mobile
Technologies are Changing Elections"
Tuesday, October 14th,
2008
12:00
PM
National Press
Club
529 14th St
NW, 13th
Floor
Washington, DC
One of the leading pollsters in the
U.S., Peter Hart, Chairman of Peter
D. Hart Research Associates, will give an update on the 2008 landscape and
discuss how analysts collecting data for the 2008 elections are factoring in
consumers who rely solely on their wireless phones.
The forum also includes a panel
discussion moderated by Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter with
representatives from some of the leading organizations and companies using these
technologies today.
Panelists
include:
Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile
Commons
Michelle Mayorga, Rock the Vote,
Mobile Programs
Casey O'Shea, DCCC National Field
Director
Katie Harbath, Former Deputy
eCampaign Director, Giuliani for President
As a former cell-only user and a
political junkie, I was especially intrigued by the latest study on cell-only
users' effect on polling. The Pew Research
Center's latest finding
rebuts prior claims that cell and landline users have similar enough views that
excluding cell-only users would not have a significant impact on poll results.
Instead, it found that "this assumption is increasingly questionable"
particularly in regard to younger cell phone users who rely heavily on their
wireless devices.
For the past five years, I was a
cell phone-only user and I loved it. After all, why would I pay for a landline
when my cell phone was always at my side letting me make calls from almost
anywhere? While there were a few times a landline would have come in handy,
(i.e. letting me call my cell phone so that I could find when I misplaced it,
having an alternative when my cell battery was dead, and for times when my cell
couldn't seem to get reception) I was still very proud of being a cell-only
girl. That all changed when, in February, I bought a condo with my fiancé. Due
to the location of our condo and a deal from our cable company, we decided to
buckle down and get a landline. I will admit it's been very helpful, but I
still rely almost solely on my cell phone for my calling needs. So it was with
great interest that I found my transition from cell to landline corresponded
with the variables that could result in skewed polling data between the
groups.
Working from polls conducted in
August and September, Pew found "that of people under age 30 with only cell
phones, 62 percent were Democrats and 28 percent Republicans. Among landline
users the same age, that gap was narrower: 54 percent Democrats, 36 percent
GOP." The reason for that gap - young people with landlines were more likely to
own homes and be married than young cell-only users, and those factors are
associated with "being somewhat more conservative and more Republican", said
Scott Keeter, Pew's director of survey research.
Little did I know when I bought a
house, got engaged and ordered a landline that in doing so I would be joining a
more conservative group than my cell-only peers. However, even with the skewed
data, Pew reported that the results usually were within the poll's margin of
error. Though the implications are not readily felt, this finding could have a
dramatic impact on the way future polls are conducted as cell-only households
continue to grow each year.
For more insight into this topic,
come to our forum, "How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections" on October
14th. Pollster Peter Hart will be delving into this topic with a
special presentation followed by a panel of leading experts using wireless
technologies. Hope to see you there!
Telecom TV
ran an interesting piece this week on mobile phones in Rwanda. The
country is home to approximately 10 million people, and of those citizens, more
than 300,000 are infected with HIV or AIDS. While Rwanda is one of the most densely populated
countries in Africa, 78 percent of the
population lives in rural areas and mountainous regions, which makes treating
disease a difficult prospect. In order to fight the spread of
HIV/AIDS, healthcare providers must be able to circulate accurate information
about prevention and treatment options.
To improve
communications, the Rwandan government has found a new solution to connect
providers with patients. TRACnet is a web-based software tool that also
utilizes cell phones to connect hospitals and clinics. Healthcare
providers can use TRACnet to connect with each other, to disseminate
information on HIV/AIDS to patients, and update the government so that it can
respond with adequate support and supplies. The data can be sent over the
Internet or over mobile phones, and it employs a two-way system that allows
individuals to send out info and messages as well as access information like
lab results.
Ultimately,
the numbers speak for themselves - three years ago, twelve centers were
treating 1000 patients, now there are over 40,000 individuals in treatment using
lifesaving wireless technologies. To learn more, check out the piece below or at
Telecom TV.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of
participating in a technology panel presentation in Arizona with Larry Irving,
President of the Irving Information Group and former Assistant Secretary of
NTIA, and Debra Berlyn, President of Consumer Policy Solutions. Having known
and admired both Larry and Debra for many years, it was great fun to see them
and hear more about what they are up to these days.
Larry Irving is an expert on
broadband delivery and is more qualified than just about anybody to speak about
the coming exaflood. The term "exaflood," refers to the torrent of data the
Internet will have to handle in the very near future. The amount of information
we upload, download and share is growing at an exponential rate. As explained
by Larry, this is exciting, but it's also a challenge. The capacity of the
Internet, its "bandwidth," is limited, and more bytes consume more
bandwidth.
By way of example, Larry explained that today, over 1/3 of entertainment is
being viewed on our computers, not our televisions. He pointed out the
exponential growth of YouTube, where in 2007 over 65,000 videos were uploaded
every day, while millions were downloaded daily. He believes that we are soon
to see the end of linear television, television that is broadcast at a set,
predetermined time. Indeed he noted that our youth believes that the idea of
"timed tv" is silly.
Larry worries that the exaflood
will cause the internet to become less efficient over time and proposed that
policymakers take two steps. First, to determine what communities in
America have access to broadband
delivery systems. Second, to take steps, working along with private industry,
to ensure that unserved communities deploy broadband.
Debra Berlyn is an expert in
internet safety issues. She pointed out that there are significant differences
in perception based on age regarding internet safety. For example, 52% of
parents say that they sit alongside their teenager whenever they're online, but
only 33% of kids confirm that position. She proposed four steps to promote
internet safety:
o
Recognize that what goes online - stays
online,
o
Have an ongoing conversation with your family about
online safety and privacy,
o
Go to consumerpolicysolutions.com for guidance and
additional information, and
o
Be vigilant about what you put online
And, of course, I spoke about the
indispensable uses of wireless in entrepreneurship, sharing my new favorite
factoid - "A 2008 survey by IDC found that more than 38% of workers would choose
their mobile phone over their wallet, keys, laptop or other digital music player
if they had to leave the house for 24 hours and could only take one item".
Arizona State Rep. Chad Campbell
did a great job chairing the program. It was a terrific audience, smart and
committed to economic development for the state of Arizona and the western
region. Indeed, the audience astutely wondered whether our current practice of
asking our students to leave technology outside the schoolhouse should be
modified so that we can better produce truly technologically savvy students - an
inquiry certainly worthy of further discussion.
With more and more elected officials
using text messaging to speak directly to voters and an increasing challenge for
pollsters to reach the growing community of voters who have cut the cord, Mobile
Future will host a forum exploring the
significant role that mobile technologies play in the 2008 election.
"How Mobile
Technologies are Changing Elections"
Tuesday, October 14th,
2008
12:00
PM
National Press
Club
529 14th St
NW, 13th
Floor
Washington, DC
One of the leading pollsters in the
U.S., Peter Hart, Chairman of Peter
D. Hart Research Associates, will give an update on the 2008 landscape and
discuss how analysts collecting data for the 2008 elections are factoring in
consumers who rely solely on their wireless phones.
The forum also includes a panel
discussion moderated by Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter with
representatives from some of the leading organizations and companies using these
technologies today.
Panelists
include:
Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile
Commons
Michelle Mayorga, Rock the Vote,
Mobile Programs
Casey O'Shea, DCCC National Field
Director
Katie Harbath, Former Deputy
eCampaign Director, Giuliani for President
The forum is a hosted luncheon open
to the public and you can rsvp by registering at www.mobilefuture.org/elections. Check back
for more blog posts discussing how mobile technologies are changing elections in
the weeks leading up to the event.
138 comments | Permalink