I attended a talk recently featuring research from Vodafone on this topic in South Africa and Egypt... The reports available here http://www.vodafone.com/article/0,3029,CATEGORY_ID%253D30413%2526LANGUAGE_ID%253D0%2526CONTENT_ID%253D290656,00.html?
Interestingly in Egypt, although airtime transfer between people is popular as a social interaction, it is not so much used as a proxy currency due to social stigma. Léan Doody Arup Communications 13 Fitzroy Street London W1T 4BQ t: 0207 755 2353 f: 0207 755 2211 e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.arup.com On 3/7/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > It works that way in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well. > > Truls > > --------------------------------------------- > Truls Erik Johnsen > Research Scientist > Telenor Research and Innovation > Mob + 47 91 81 75 24 > B6e, N-1331 Fornebu, Norway > --------------------------------------------- > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Michiel de Lange > > Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 10:39 AM > > To: mobile society list > > Subject: [mobile-society] Re: Kenyans to transfer money using > > cell phones > > > > > > That indeed how I found it works in Nigeria. You buy an > > upgrade card, you text the number to your family/friends > > elsewhere. There go to a mobile phone shop and sell it for a > > small loss and get their cash. > > Since these shops are everywhere, it's easy and there's > > profit in it for everyone. > > > > Jan Chipcase has written about this in Uganda (it's called 'sente' > > there): > > http://www.janchipchase.com/blog/archives/2006/12/shareduse.html > > > > On Mobile Africa there's an interesting article that explains > > in detail how it works in Nigeria. www.mobileafrica.net > > (currently offline, can't find the exact URL). > > > > > > > > > > Michiel de Lange > > __________________ > > Erasmus University Rotterdam > > PhD researcher 'Playful Identities' > > > > Room H5-13 > > PO Box 1738 > > 3000 DR Rotterdam > > +31 10 4088983 > > +31 6 53201800 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > ** Have a look at my research project weblog: http://blog.bijt.org > > > > > > > > On Mar 6, 2007, at 9:39 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > I am not sure about this one, but one system I have heard of is that > > > person A buys air-time for person B who may or may not be > > in the same > > > village, region etc. (this is easily done and many parents in > > > Norway do > > > it for their children), The innovation is that person B > > goes into the > > > local phone store and basically sells back the air time for cash. > > > > > > Rich L. > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Barry Wellman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 9:15 PM > > > To: Ling Richard Seyler (R&I) > > > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subject: Re: [mobile-society] Kenyans to transfer money using cell > > > phones > > > > > > Not rich's fault, but i hate these press releases that don't say > > > how it > > > will work, or if it will work. > > > > > > Barry Wellman > > > > > _____________________________________________________________________ > > > > > > Barry Wellman S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology > > NetLab Director > > > Centre for Urban & Community Studies University > > of Toronto > > > 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 > > fax:+1-416-978-7162 > > > wellman at chass.utoronto.ca > > http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman > > > for fun: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php > > > > > _____________________________________________________________________ > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 6 Mar 2007 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > >> Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 19:03:54 +0100 > > >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >> Subject: [mobile-society] Kenyans to transfer money using > > cell phones > > >> > > >> Hello all, > > >> > > >> This is an interesting development. It seems that money > > transfer via > > >> the mobile is being used in the third world. It may be that the > > > mobile > > >> as an electronic wallet comes there first. > > >> > > >> Rich L. > > >> > > >> Safaricom <http://www.safaricom.com/2005/default.asp> , Kenya's > > > biggest > > >> cell phone firm, on Tuesday launched a money transfer service that > > > will > > >> use short message services, which it said was the first of its > > >> kind in > > >> the world. Reuters > > >> <http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070306/tc_nm/kenya_safaricom_dc> > > > reports. > > >> "The product allows its 5.8 million subscribers to use their cell > > > phones > > >> to send money in the east African country where it is > > commonplace for > > >> one family member working in the city to support a whole family > > >> living > > >> in rural areas. ... Kenyans will deposit or access the > > money through > > >> Safaricom agents like supermarkets or shops situated all over the > > >> country. Kenya's Minister for Communication, Mutahi Kagwe, > > > highlighted > > >> the opportunity for remote communities: "This will help people in > > >> far-flung parts of the country who have no banking services, now > > > anyone > > >> can have a bank in their pocket." > > >> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070306/tc_nm/kenya_safaricom_dc > > >> > > >> > > >>> > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mobile-society" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mobile-society?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
