Cell Phones in Developing World

“The benefits of increasingly widespread availability of low-cost telecommunications in the developing world are economic, social and political.”

- From: “Reaching Out Around the World Digitally” by David A. Gross, in Letters to the Editor, Washington Post, Monday, July 31, 2006; A14

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/30/AR2006073000539_pf.html

Your July 9 front-page article "In War-Torn Congo, Going Wireless to Reach Home; For Poor, Cellphones Bridge Digital Divide" highlighted an extraordinary success story in Africa. However, this success is not limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The story is being repeated throughout the developing world. This progress is the result of combining revolutionary technical changes with liberalized telecommunications policies and private sector leadership and investments.

The benefits of increasingly widespread availability of low-cost telecommunications in the developing world are economic, social and political. For example, during last December's constitutional referendum in Congo, the Independent Electoral Commission distributed information to the public via mobile phones. In Mozambique, citizens began a text-messaging campaign to inform the public about a candidate who was previously expelled from government service because of improper conduct. The cellphone was a pivotal component in the success of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004. In Kuwait, women running for posts in 2006 used text messaging as an innovative campaign tool to circumvent social restrictions that often limit women's access to audiences. The list goes on.

The Bush administration actively supports the continued expansion of digital opportunities in the developing world through leadership at international events and programs such as the Digital Freedom Initiative.

We will continue to encourage increased access and usage of communication technologies in developing nations and look forward to the further proliferation of jobs, knowledge and freedom of expression that these technologies nurture.

DAVID A. GROSS

U.S. Coordinator, International Communications and Information Policy, State Department, Washington

© 2006 The Washington Post Company