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mWomen: A Win-Win Opportunity for Mobile Operators - Global Telecom Insider/Vol. 3, No 3, Edition 12
Pyramid Research, Inc, Dec 2011, Pages: 16
The impact that mobile phone access and usage can have on women has never been greater. As the significance of mobile phone technology to women is gradually documented and verified, Pyramid projects that mobile network operators that are early to participate in the process of making breakthroughs for mWomen will reap the benefits sooner than their late-arriving competitors, according to a new report.
mWomen: A Win-Win Opportunity for Mobile Operators examines the inhibiting factors, as well as the conditions that drive interest in mobile phone adoption by women around the globe. Next Pyramid Research highlights examples of the benefits that mobile phones have played a role in producing for women. Then a discussion follows of the potential gains that MNOs and governments will derive from a female citizenry with better and increased mobile phone access. Pyramid Research concludes with case studies of mobile women (mWomen) in action from the regions of Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
“Although there has been a notable uptick in mobile phone subscriptions around the world, statistics increasingly point to the fact that there are still a number of women without access to mobile phone technology,” says Ronda Zelezny-Green, Associate Research Analyst at Pyramid Research. The cycle of benefits to MNOs, governments and the private sector when they support mWomen projects will not be realized if more resources are not offered to bolster promising projects and initiatives. By supporting access to mobile phones, operators can help women leverage the information and tools that they need to assist them in the realization of their own personal and professional development goals. “At the same time, MNOs can establish a broader customer base that could result in more mobile phone subscriptions for female end users and eventually generate more revenue for the industry,” she explains.
The impact that mobile phone access and usage can have on women has never been greater. Mobile women (mWomen) are still a growing segment in telecommunications, but with the alignment of the appropriate resources and support, mWomen may be on the verge of a breakthrough. The proliferation of projects in the fields of mobile health, mobile education, mobile agriculture, mobile money/banking, mobile social networks and mobile innovation in general have all demonstrated that women in particular can benefit both directly and indirectly through time and cost savings, access to life-saving information, the ability to communicate with others (who may be at long distances), increases in access to business opportunities, the ability to perform monetary transactions, and even nurturing their ability to read and write.
Cumulatively, these benefits for mWomen can help mobile network operators (MNOs) create a situation that is equal parts altruistic and lucrative. Pyramid Research believes that by supporting access to mobile phones, operators can help women leverage the information and tools that they need to assist them in the realization of their own personal and professional development goals. Advantages of the development of mWomen can include increased productivity, heightened feelings of personal safety, and even a reduction in maternal and infant mortality rates. At the same time, MNOs can establish a broader customer base that could result in more mobile phone subscriptions for female end users and eventually generate more revenue for the industry.
In this Insider, we examine the inhibiting factors as well as the conditions that drive interest in mobile phone adoption by women around the globe. Next we highlight examples of the benefits that mobile phones have played a role in producing for women. Then a discussion follows of the potential gains that MNOs and governments will derive from a female citizenry with better and increased mobile phone access. We conclude with case studies of mobile women (mWomen) in action from the regions of Latin America, Africa & the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Published monthly for each of the world’s most dynamic regions, Telecom Insiders are packed with trend analysis, industry best practices, market sizing and forecasting, competitor analysis, and case studies, providing you information you can leverage to make better business decisions.
Key Findings:
- Providing women with access to mobile phones can present tangible opportunities for mobile network operators, governments and private vendors to support development goals. Direct investment in mWomen projects and programs should reward early supporters in the long run.
- Although there are a number of challenges such as gender relations, cost of use` and literacy that must be surmounted, the idea of increasing mobile phone adoption among women remains feasible given the varied interests that women have in accessing the technology.
- Advantages of the development of mWomen can include increased productivity, heightened feelings of personal safety, and even a reduction in maternal and infant mortality rates.
- As demonstrated through the case studies, the introduction of mobile phone access can have multiple levels of impact in different areas of the lives of the women and girls who have the opportunity to benefit from the technology.
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