Grameen Phone

The Grameen phone is an opportunity for developing countries to communicate via Global System for Mobile communications (GSM). The phones are most popular in Bangladesh where the concept was conceived and are used just like a mobile phone. The man behind the idea is Iqbal Quadir, who felt that the Grameen phone could work not only to communicate but also to provide jobs.

To be useful any GSM phone requires a network to communicate with. Emergence of the OpenBTS software [1] brought it within reach for extremely cheap devices to support connections to GSM nodes.

The Village Phone Program started in 1997 and was designed to provide universal access to telecommunications service in rural areas. not only does it provide phones for the people who cant afford them, but it also offers job opportunities to the same people who need to make a living. Most of the participants are women in the villages.

• Wikipedia:Grameen Phone