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London, Feb 16 (BDNEWS): Mobile operators in developing countries have bought or ordered more than 12 million mobile phones from Motorola under the Emerging Market Handset (EMH) programme run by the GSM Association (GSMA), sources said.
Under the programme, leading operators in developing markets buy ultra-low cost handsets from Motorola, which are available in more than 50 countries, making mobile telecommunications services available to millions of people.
In addition to extending access to basic voice services, the GSMA is also using the Development Fund to explore how high-speed mobile networks, based on 3GSM technologies, can aid social and economic development. In many instances, 3GSM networks are the most economical way to make Internet access and other data communications widely available in the developing world.
For example, the GSMA is running field trials in Bangladesh with Ndiyo, a not-for-profit organisation based in Cambridge, England, that is promoting the concept of low-cost Internet access terminals for the developing world.
In rural Bangladesh, villagers are using the low-cost terminals to connect to the Internet via a mobile network that uses EDGE technology to transmit data at speeds of up to 240 kilobytes per second.
In neighbouring India, the GSMA is organizing trials of handsets equipped with software from fastmobile of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, that makes it easier for people to access a range of messaging services, such as SMS, MMS, email and instant messaging.
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