Bridging the digital divide with the mobile handset

An interesting perspective from the San Jose Mercury News:

Link: San Jose Mercury News – Mobile phone, not PC, bridges digital gap

“In Africa, the mobile phone is much more than just a means of communication,” according to Gbenga Odujinrin, chief executive of Nigeria-based Telnet. “In Africa, the mobile phone is an identity, and the only way to reach across geographical boundaries.”

That’s why it’s important not to impose a Western bias when comparing the relative merits of mobile phones and PCs. For example, most African cultures rely on oral communication rather than the written word. And as Gbenga points out, mobile devices are much more than phones in emerging nations. Digital cash transactions, telemedicine, mobile banking and video are already de rigueur in many regions.