Study on Potentials of Mobile Phones in Investment and Development Projects

[Knowledge base]

The report draws on the experiences of projects using mobile phone-based information and communication technologies (ICT) applications in a number of situations, including mobile monitoring and evaluation, m-banking, community development, literacy, anti-corruption, agricultural extension and agricultural value chain information and access.

The report begins with a general overview of the role that mobile phone-based ICT can play in development and commercial projects, focusing on the situations in which mobile phone-based applications are particularly appropriate, on the potential impacts that they can achieve and on their comparative advantages vis-a-vis other forms of mobile ICT.

The report then considers in more detail the experience of selected projects in using mobile phone-based ICT, shedding light on such issues as the appropriateness and relevance of the systems used, their replicability and scalability and their sustainability.

Mobile phone-based ICT is defined broadly as systems of information and communication technology whose principal mechanism of facilitation is the mobile telephone. This definition does not exclude the use of other technologies to support the operation of such systems (such as computer servers and databases), but it refers to applications which are primarily built for, and around, the use of mobile phones.

This report was prepared by Mr Derek Poate, Director at ITAD http://www.itad.com/index.aspx for FAO.

Report No.: 10/014 FAO-GEN

Date: 20 December 2010

Study on Potentials of Mobile Phones in Investment and Development Project .pdf