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Wireless Utopia

The journey towards a free wireless world.

Free Messaging!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The most cost-effective use of the mobile phone is, of course, communicating via missed calls. I guess everybody has used this method sometime or the other. Its intuitive and does not cost anything. Missed calls have become such a craze nowadays that it is starting to worry the operators. But charging them might really offend the users and run into regulatory troubles as well!

But that is besides the point. Here is a great study about the use of shared mobile phones in Uganda. A short summary is here. The same rules apply elsewhere as well. Read it to get an idea of how the masses use communication tools effectively.

The communication revolution is happening around us right now.

Tags: , , ,
posted by Rajiv, 1:47 AM

3 Comments:

Yep! I too was thinking a lot about using Missed calls for the benefit.

There is a village in Andhra where farmers use missed calls to switch on their pumpsets. Its really important to water their fields in the early hours & at late nights. The farmer need not go the well, which might be in the middle of the field & might avoid getting bites from serpents & other creatures. Also makes him flaunt about his pumpset remote, with the cost of nothing!

Read about this in a Newspaper article.
Said Anonymous Anonymous, 4:07 AM  

Amazing. Thats nice idea. A generic device does a mechanical action whenever it gets a call. Maybe a smarter once which sends out pre-programmed signals whenever it gets a call!

Food for thought for entrepreneurs.
Said Blogger Rajiv, 4:15 AM  

> Also makes him flaunt about his pumpset remote, with the cost of nothing!

This may be incorrect.

The other welcoming move should come from ther service providers who are willing to provide connectivity for sensors/devices like this. There can be "special" post/pre paid plans which are valid say for years. Might be a boon for cellular companies for identifying altogether a new revenue channel. >:O)
Said Anonymous Anonymous, 8:02 PM  

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