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A Structured Approach for Bringing Mobile Telecommunications to the World's Poor
Author(s) -
Anderson Jamie
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the electronic journal of information systems in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1681-4835
DOI - 10.1002/j.1681-4835.2006.tb00179.x
Subject(s) - functional illiteracy , poverty , enthusiasm , product (mathematics) , bottom of the pyramid , pyramid (geometry) , service (business) , business , marketing , advertising , economic growth , telecommunications , economics , political science , engineering , psychology , social psychology , geometry , mathematics , physics , optics , law
Why haven't mobile network operators seized the opportunity at the base of the economic pyramid? The explanations are well known; non‐existent distribution channels, illiteracy, poverty, and sometimes even war or violent insurgencies can stifle the enthusiasm of companies in serving people living in poverty. Indeed, most MNOs have elected to ignore these consumer segments, and focus on the ‘low hanging fruit – customers in the middle and upper income brackets. But while the vast majority of mobile operators have seen these challenges as insurmountable barriers, other have quietly pursued strategies of experimentation in developing unique product and service propositions for some of the world's most needy consumers. At the heart of these success stories has been the development of an approach that delivers a structured approach to serving the world's poor: the 4As – availability, affordability, awareness and acceptability.