The month of January has been a very busy one for me as the three Shared Access to Voice projects I’m managing have made tremendous progress. One project was launched in December and we’ve made several trips to the field since then to monitor the entrepreneurs’ progress and recruit additional participants. The second project just launched last Thursday, which was a huge accomplishment and we hope to significantly increase our numbers in the coming months. The final project I’m working on should launch within the next month after experience delays. But it is on the right track now and everyone involved is optimistic. I’ve included a few photos from my recent visits to the field where we’ve met with local entrepreneurs.

Shared Access to Voice seeks to enable people to share mobile phones, instead of owning individual ones, which is often to costly for many people in developing countries. While mobile phone ownership has grown worldwide, between 1 – 1.5 billion people around the world do not have affordable access to mobile services. To overcome this barrier, the GSM Association Development is working with local mobile operators to equip local entrepreneurs with mobile handsets that act as mobile payphones or mobile PCOs (Public Call Offices). Mobile PCOs benefit a wide range of people and groups; from the end user who has access to affordable mobile services and the local entrepreneur who now has the ability to earn additional income, to the local mobile operator which can increase its market share, brand recognition and penetration into rural and semi-rural markets. The GSM Association is currently launching Shared Access to Voice projects in India, Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.

My work in India has involved a delicate balancing act because I’m managing three similar projects with three different wireless operators who are direct competitors. As a result, it is very important for me to remain impartial and not share proprietary information between companies. At the same time, as a representative of the GSM Association, I want share past successes and failures with the wireless companies in an effort to ensure the greatest success and impact for the Shared Access to Voice projects.