Cell Phones

Cell phones are the way of life today. In the US, little kids are carrying around the newest iPhone versions. Closing the digital divide requires studying and learning about the country’s needs and capabilities of upgrading to the digital world. There are countries that are financially unable to afford a cell phone, but it should be the cell phone companies that should be able to work around various prices for cell phones. For example, in the U.S. the iPhone is taking over and consumers require the latest technologies. As the phones get older, companies should send those phones to less developed countries in an effort to grow the digital market and close the digital divide. As the article mentions, India leads the way with 756 million subscribers, while being a developing country. All it takes is an introduction to the country and cell phones begin to spread like wildfire. They market themselves once introduced in a country at a reasonable price. If the price is too much for a single family to afford, the family can set goals to attain a cell phone in the future. Either way, cell phones sell themselves. “To get a sense of how rapidly cell phones are penetrating the global marketplace, you need only to look at the sales figures. According to statistics from the market database Wireless Intelligence, it took about 20 years for the first billion mobile phones to sell worldwide. The second billion sold in four years, and the third billion sold in two. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives within range of a cellular network, which is double the level in 2000” (Corbett, 2008). In 2008, these statistics show that cell phone market was on a rise. Since iPhone’s introduction in 2007, the cell phone market has grown even more substantially, especially in the U.S. I can speak for the ever-increasing mobile service in India as even rickshaw drivers who make about 50 rupees (about $1.25) in two hours are carrying a cell phone. Companies such as Obopay and

References: Corbett, S. (2008, April 13). Can the Cell Phone Help End Global Poverty. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?pagewanted=all Openshaw, J. (2009, May 24). Mobile Phones: Key To Developing Nations. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/23/mobile-phones-key-to-deve_n_190809.html Raby, M. (2012, January 30). Nokia still top mobile phone maker. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from TG Daily: http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-brief/61102-nokia-still-top-mobile-phone-maker