November 24, 2003
Mobile phones for Uganda's poor
Mobile Operator MTN Uganda has embarked on a substantial project to improve access to communications services and thus reduce poverty and improve socio-economic conditions in rural Uganda, reports Cellular News.
Based on the successful Grameen Village Phone Programme - The "phone ladies" of Bangladesh -, MTN Uganda officially launched “MTN villagePhone” this week.
Men and women are encourage to take out a micro-loan - as little as US$230 to be repaid over a period of up to 12 months - for the MTN villagePhone equipment and use the cell phones to operate a business providing much needed communications services to their communities.
This is a country where the average villager travels up to two kilometers to make an call and the waiting list for access to a fixed line telephone is 3.6 years.
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