119: mobile development

An interesting BBC online piece today, covering the release of a UN report, which suggests that mobile phones and internet access are beginning to narrow the gap between poorer and richer nations. Small businessmen, traders, farmers and fishermen are using mobile phones and the web to get better prices for their products, and thereby cut waste. Mobile phone users in developing countries make up 58% of all global subscribers, in fact, and that number looks set to increase. As the report suggests, even more people could access the internet if broadband technology were rolled out. So it's definitely an area for market growth - but more importantly, these technologies are enabling and empowering people all over the world, allowing them to access new opportunities and take control of their own lives. It's an exciting time... (Beautiful photo of Keralan fishermen from AP / BBC online.)