Mobile phone operators in the developing world have unleashed a torrent of communication and innovation, spurring new business opportunities and economic development for everyone from village phone ladies to multinationals. And they’ve done it through private investment and with strong profits, mostly independent of traditional international development models.
Who is the next mobile owner?
So what can the development communities learn from the mobile operator approach? Where are they going in their “emerging markets” – the future of mobile coverage, usage tariffs, distribution channels, and network sharing? And what’s the next paradigm shift in technology that can spur more development – be it public or private?
Please join Terry Kramer, Group Strategy & Business Improvement Director for Vodafone in an intimate, informal, and in person, discussion around the nexus of mobile technology and international development at the next Technology Salon.
Our gracious host is the UN Foundation and we’ll have coffee and donuts for a good morning sugar rush to wake everyone up. Two changes with this Salon – we’ll meet on Friday morning, instead of Thursday, and Alice Liu will be the guest moderator, as I will be in San Francisco.
The Future of Mobile-Empowered Development
April Technology Salon
Friday, April 24, 8:30-10am
UN Foundation Conference Room
1800 Mass Avenue, NW, Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20036 (map)
Do note that seating is limited and the UN Foundation is in a secure building. So the first fifteen (15) to RSVP will be confirmed attendance and then there will be a waitlist.
About Terry Kramer:
Terry Kramer is the Group Strategy & Business Improvement Director for Vodafone, the world’s leading mobile telecommunications company with 289 million customers. Terry Kramer joined Vodafone in January 2005 as Chief of Staff, and was appointed Group HR Director in 2006, before being appointed Group Strategy & Business Improvement Director in September 2008.
About Alice Liu:
Alice Liu is founder and principal of Emerging ICT Group, with a current focus on microfinance and global health. She just completed a study on linking mobile banking and mobile payment systems with credit bureaus. Past projects include analyzing a client’s programs to link small and medium enterprises with mobile network operators.