Mobile Phone Potential

In nepal, the mobile phone(MP) user have been increasing since its intrdouction in 1999. At the time, it was cosidered as symbol of indulgence. But today, its rising popularity has taken it approximately 5 million MP user in both urban as well as rural areas within a very short span of time. But the exact number or users is hard to come by, not least because of the continued rapid growth in the number of subscirbers. In the case of Kathmandu city, people of every stratum (a wage earner, an industrialist, a diplomat, a driver, a porter, a housewife, a student, a civil servant, a teacher, a laborer , a vender a politician and other) possess a MP. The use of MP is limited in the rural areas as compared to the urban due to various reasons. But , its use would be more valuable and productive in rural areas where adequate infrastructure development is yet to take place.

Some international institutios have investigated the economic impact of the use of MP in developoing countries. A study by the use of MP in developing countries. A study by the world Resources Institute (WRI) found that as developing-world incomes rise, household spending on MP grows faster than spending on energy, water or indeed anything else. In the same manner, a World Bank (WB) study group has found that adding ane extra ten MP per 100 people in a typical developing country like Nepal boosts growth in GDP per person by 0.8 percentage points. It further states that MPs developed in a few short years, and once the toys of rich poeple, they have become tools of economic empowerment for the world's poorest people.

In Uganda, enterpresneurs and development organizations are eagerly seizing the opportunity from the fast growing MP.Farmers in rural area frequently find answers to questions about farming practices and health issues using Google text messaging and anoperator service. Throughout Africa, millions of people use their MPs to transfer money, turn on water wells, learn soccer games scores and buy and sell goods.