Cell Phones

Cell phones are changing the world often in ways you might not expect. We all know how we use cell phones in this country, but what is the impact they are making in other countries?

Jessica Williams is the author of the book, 50 Facts That Should Change the World. In her first edition, one of her facts was that 70 percent of the world’s population had never heard a dial tone. By the second edition, that was no longer the case.

Every single day, one million people become new mobile phone subscribers. The large majority of them are in the developing world. Consider that in India alone, more than six million new customers sign up each month. By 2010, the government predicts there will be more than 500 million mobile phone users.

These new phones provide much more than convenience. They grow the economy and allow access to the outside world and. Studies show that adding phones in a country increases its GDP. And these newer phones allow people in the developing world to access information on the Internet.

Let’s be clear: there is still a digital divide in the world. In North America, nearly 70 percent can access the Internet. The percentage drops to 10 percent when you are talking about the Middle East and Asia. Only 4 percent of people in Africa can access the Internet. Let’s also remember that government in certain countries limit access to the Internet. Many governments (China, Iran, Myanmar) heavily censor Internet access. Others filter Internet traffic.

But the increased access to cell phones is a positive step in the world. In many countries, access to a phone was virtually impossible. In others, it meant waiting a very long time to get a phone line put into your home.

In our information society, information is power. The gap between rich and poor is still very troubling, but at least cell phones are beginning to bridge the gap in the digital divide. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view.