The Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) has launched the Mobile Enabled Community Service programme, backed by £4.1 million from the British government, to leverage on the power of the mobile to enhance basic services around the world.
“Through mobile technology, we will be able to support and improve the provision and maintenance of energy and water services, providing a critical resource to underserved communities,” said Chris Locke, Managing Director, GSMA Mobile for Development
“Currently 1.3 billion people, nearly 20 per cent of the world’s population, are without access to energy and 783 million people, 10 per cent of world’s population, do not have access to ‘improved’ water resources,” the GSMA said, according to International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2011 and Unicef statistics.
Africa has embraced mobile technology in addressing some of the challenges facing it. Recently, Vodacom partnered with Mezzanine, a health technology firm, to provide cost effective products for the health workers in South Africa.
Safaricom, one of the leading integrated telecoms companies in East Africa, launched a programme to enable rural residents in Kenya to access green energy products such as solar lanterns. The initiative enables potential buyers to buy the solar unit and pay in installments using mobile money, MPesa.
“With its technology and significant size and reach, the mobile industry can help address these challenges and provide an unprecedented opportunity for scale in impacting lives,” the GSMA said.
They also added mobile technology and infrastructure are already being used to improve access to energy and water through product distribution via existing channels, pay-as-you-go financing via mobile payments, and remote activation, monitoring and data collection.
