SciDev.Net

Text messaging is the method of choice for communication

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Mobile technology has developed at a fast pace and found applications in diverse areas from wildlife conservation to health. But the humble text message is still the method of choice for many people.

The unprecedented growth in the mobile market in developing countries is largely due to a vibrant recycling market and low-cost phones, with innovative mobile manufacturers introducing various mobile types to the markets.

But since most people use old handsets, rather than up-to-date technology, text messaging has become the medium of choice for communication.

Introduced in 2005, FrontlineSMS is a messaging hub that allows non-profit organisations in developing countries to manage two-way bulk messaging by attaching a mobile phone to a laptop computer.

FrontlineSMS is being used by grassroots non-profit organisations in over 40 countries for a variety of activities, including healthcare in rural settings. In Malawi, 100 mobile phones are being used to communicate with 600 community health workers in the Namitete area to monitor drug adherence of tuberculosis patients and trace patients.

There may be better technologies in the near future, but text messaging remains a powerful tool for many organisations and individuals as a prime source of communication in the developing world.


Link to full article in BBC Online