Mobile phones and voice SMS technologies are enabling valuable services for rural communities in developing areas. Examples from several countries demonstrate how farmers, fishermen, and others are using mobile phones to access agricultural information, market prices, medical advice, and more. Voice SMS is particularly useful for overcoming issues of literacy and providing information via spoken commands and messages. Technologies shown to help include crowd-sourcing local information, linking entrepreneurs, and monitoring resources like irrigation pumps remotely. Kirusa is a leading provider of voice SMS and mobile value-added services focused on expanding these opportunities worldwide.

1. Rural Telecom Market: Opportunities and Issues;
Strategies and Solutions
The Promise of VAS

2. Mobile VAS usage in Rural Scenarios International
• In Uganda, using Google SMS Search
technology
• Farmer’s Friend,
• Clinic Finder,
• Google Trader,
• CELAC (Collecting and Exchanging Local
Agricultural Content) project
• Activism campaign Against Gender
Based Violence (GBV)
• In Vietnam, iNhaNong, was introduced in
November 2008.
• iNhaNong - a software product installed
in mobile phones
• purchase agricultural products by
sending text messages.
mobile phones are the most
• In Ethiopia
• UNICEF implemented RapidSMS
important networked knowledge
exchange technology used in the
developing world
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3. Mobile VAS usage in Rural Scenarios International
• In Kenya
• crowd sourcing approach
• translation into local dialects for companies like
Nokia
• In Tanzania
• market spies called “shu shu shu” collect
information
• share them via cellphones
• In Syria
• get farmers to share knowledge
• In South Africa
• fighting HIV-AIDS through SMS mobile phones are the most
important networked knowledge
exchange technology used in the
developing world
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4. Mobile usage in Rural Scenarios India
• evacuation and rescue of marooned people
in recent Bihar floods
• health workers working in rural areas, to
provide instant medical services and contact
the doctors
• Fishermen call ahead to ports
• Linking women micro-entrepreneurs
• farmers to use their mobile phones to
remotely monitor and switch on irrigation
pump sets in far flung locations
• In Maharashtra, an SMS costing Rs 60/= a
month offers farmers up-to-date, local and
customized information
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5. The Role of Voice
• Voice transmission has a singular advantage over SMS and data transmissions
• channels human, spoken language directly
• Users of many literacy levels can use voice technology
• issue commands and requests in their natural language
• Voice SMS service is available on fixed lines as well
• PCO usage
• IVR services in local language
• Commands to use voice SMS
• It’s easier than text messaging
• Click. Record. Send.
• A key advantage of Voice SMS in emerging markets is overcoming illiteracy
levels
• benefits for the visually impaired
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6. The Role of Voice
• Avaaj Otalo ("voice-based community forum")
• a system for farmers to access relevant and timely agricultural
information over the phone
• farmers can record questions, review and respond to others,
• access content published by agricultural experts and
institutions.
• announcements board of headline-like snippets updated
regularly, and
• a radio archive to listen to past episodes of the popular
weekly radio program.
• Mobiled-
• designing teaching and learning environments
• mobile audio-wikipedia,
• using SMS and text-to-speech technologies
• piloted in South Africa
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7. The Role of Voice
• Participative democratic process in Philippines
• Bayan Telecommunications capitalizing on Voice SMS
service
• offering subscribers an interesting Voice SMS based
application: ‘Boto Mo I-Patrol Mo’ which means ‘Take
Care of Your Vote’.
• Selected Voice SMS messages sent by subscribers
rural and common man’s
voice in the political process
showcased on national television as well.
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8. How can Voice SMS help
• Voice SMS based subscription services can be transmitted to rural audience
comprising of
• Information on fertilizers and Crops
• Weather
• Healthcare
• Education Govt’s Social schemes viz. Voice SMS- a fast-growing service that allows customers to record
and send messages by speaking. A user simply dials * followed by
• Polio the recipient’s number and speaks a short message. The recipient
gets an SMS notification from the sender and can dial a number in
• Registration the notification to directly access the spoken message.
• Flood or Drought schemes etc.
• NGO Schemes
• Commodity Prices
• Emergencies
• New career choices
• Social Reform messages (overcoming caste, racial, gender divides) Voice SMS
• Corporate products
• Entertainment
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9. About Kirusa
• Founded in 2001
• World’s leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services
(VAS)
• Voice SMS used by mobile subscribers millions of times daily
• Headquartered in New Jersey, led by an experienced team of wireless telecom executives and
technologists
• Sales offices across the globe
• Research and Development facilities in New Delhi and in Bangalore, India
• 14 patent applications covering Voice SMS and multimodal technologies and services
• Recognized as one of top 100 technology companies by Silicon India for years 2007 and 2008, and
one of top 25 emerging technology companies by Smart Techie magazine
• Won a Silver Mobile Star Award in Mobile Consumer Messaging in December 2008
• Named AlwaysOn Global 250 winner in 2008 and AlwaysOn 250 winner in 2009
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10. Thank You
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