[UgaBYTES] Rural communication: Is there still a needfor telecentres now that there are mobile phones?

[Davis Weddi]

Meddie,
Let's start with you. You asked about the best practices in using Mobile
phones.
I assume you hold/own a mobile handset. How do you use your Mobile phone? I
presume if you list the ways in which you use yours, you might come up with
many uses.
While answering that question, keep in mind the fact that the handset is
much more of a personal communication device that enables communication in
various ways and for various reasons. And so looking at how one uses his
handset becomes very important.

Also important to note is the fact that you can start with your own handset
which gives you options on how you can use it for you own purposes.

----------------------
In Uganda at least the uses I have seen include:-
- Making telephone calls (voice)
- Sending text messages
- Event Calendar and reminders
- Directory look-up
- Information searching
- Mobile banking
- Reception of News Updates
- Listening to Radio
- Watching TV (including video on demand)
- Voice mail and voice sms
- Stock and price index look up
- Polling
- Commercial Promotions (especially by Telecoms)
- Mobile conferencing
- Ringtone exchange
- GeoMapping
- Research
- Bating
- Surfing/browsing the internet
- It is a calculator
- Driver for development communication
- Driver for business
- ETC...
-----------------------

If you have not been observant, to a lay Ugandan and many other Ugandans,
mobile usage increasingly has far more advantages than just simply walking
into a Telecenter because a mobile phone can be operated from anywhere. Who
knows, in the near future, there might be no need for Telecenters anyway as
the mobile phone becomes a personal Telecenter.

For now, Telecenters can only start to research into how they can adapt to
the potential forthcoming onslaught of mobile phones. Who knows, some
Telecenters might turn into shops for the best mobile technologies and may
be areas where help on mobile phones can be sought. At the end of the day, I
see that it seems the Telecenter's role will be reduced to coordinating
centers for particular types of communication like examinations,
face-to-face tutoring, community meeting centers, workshop centers, etc...
So I begin to doubt if really the mobile phone are complementary to
Telecenters or it is Telecenters that are complimentary to mobile phones.

NB: Whatever the case may be, the end justifies the means.

This is an interesting topic anyway and many views can be advanced depending
on how one looks at the issues at hand, surround both Mobile phones and
Telecenters.

Davis J. Weddi
KAMPALA
User of Mobile phone number +256 75 2697575



-----Original Message-----
From: ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org
[mailto:ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org] On Behalf Of Meddie Mayanja
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 10:33 PM
To: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
Subject: Re: [UgaBYTES] Rural communication: Is there still a needfor
telecentres now that there are mobile phones?


Its great to have this discussion.

What I hear is a general agreement that mobile phones (technologies) are
complementary to telecentres. Yes, its the reality.

The next logical step for me is answering this questions: which ways can
this complementarity be demonstrated. How does a telecentre get started to
use mobile technologies? what are the possibilities? etc How do communities
take advantage. There also other experiences one can refer to. . SANGONeT
organised a big event - MobileActive. I suspect many ground breaking ways to
use Mobile phone were shared. 

In essence, what are the best practices in using Mobile phones?

Best, Meddie


_______________________________________________
ugabytes mailing list
ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabytes.org





o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
				DISCLAIMER
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS COMMUNICATION IS CONFIDENTIAL AND 
MAY BE LEGALLY PRIVILEGED.IT IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL
 OR ENTITY TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED AND OTHERS AUTHORIZED TO RECEIVE IT.
 IF YOU ARE NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY 
DISCLOSURE, COPYING, DISTRIBUTION OR TAKING ACTION IN RELIANCE OF THE 
CONTENTS OF THIS INFORMATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND MAY BE UNLAWFUL
. NEW VISION PRINTING AND PUBLISHING LIMITED IS NEITHER LIABLE FOR THE 
PROPER, COMPLETE TRANSMISSION OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS 
COMMUNICATION, ANY DELAY IN ITS RECEIPT OR THAT THE MAIL IS VIRUS-FREE