Much has been said about women’s access to and use of the telephone. Many studies conclude that a significant gender divide in access exists particularly in developing countries. Women are also said to use telephones in a different manner from men –making and receiving more calls, spending...

This paper looks at telecom use at the bottom of the pyramid, or BOP in emerging Asia, where much of the ‘next billion' subscribers are expected to come from. It explores the potential for new customers, and issues of affordability at the BOP. The findings reveal potential for more than 140...

The research quantitatively identifies the effect of willingness to use ICT by measuring the perceived impact of ICTs by users in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Cambodia. The study attempts to model the relationship between the perceived impacts of access to mobile phones and the adoption of...

This paper looks at telecom use at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) in emerging Asia, where many of the ‘next billions’ of subscribers will come from. It explores the potential for new customers, and issues of affordability at the BOP. The findings reveal potential for as many as 140 new...

Much has been said of the benefits of access to telecommunication especially at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’. The economic as well as social benefits from such access can, in theory allow people to improve their life conditions, and also contribute more widely to development. Many in the...

Much has been said of the benefits of access to telecommunication especially at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’.2 The economic as well as social benefits from such access can, in theory enable people to graduate from poverty and also contribute more widely to development. Thus it can be argued...

When one talks of a ‘shoestring’ budget, it is understood that reference is being made to constrained finances, where individuals make attempts to cut costs through various methods without harming utility. This paper looks at the use of ‘strategies’ by such ‘shoestring’ users to...

The Bangladeshi telecom market constitutes approximately 10.4 million phone lines (fixed plus mobile); of this, about 9.4 million are mobile. The mobile sector, currently consisting of six operators, is growing at a spectacular rate of 144 per cent over the year 2005, according to The New...