Workshop on "Mobiles and Development: The Contribution of Mobile

Workshop on "Mobiles and Development: The Contribution of Mobile
Devices to
Development"
Wednesday 16th May 2007
Development Informatics Group, University of Manchester

This is a call for abstracts and first announcement of a workshop of
the UK Development Studies Association "Information, Technology and Development" study group on the relation of mobile devices to socio-economic development.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), there are
now more mobile subscribers than fixed line subscribers, and mobile teledensity
rates continue to outstrip fixed teledensity in every region of the world.
ITU statistics show a global increase from approximately 740 million mobile
subscribers in 2000 to 2.2 billion subscribers more than one-third of
the world's population by the end of 2005. With one million new
subscribers every day, it is estimated that almost four billion people will have a mobile phone by the end of 2010.

Rising uptake of mobile phones is indicative of the huge potential
mobile devices have in reaching significant portions of erstwhile excluded
populations. This workshop will bring together field evidence on the
use of mobile devices in delivering development objectives in a range of
developing and developed countries. It will explore the application of mobile
devices to health, education, economic and social empowerment, human rights,
commerce, etc.

Interested presenters should in the first instance submit an abstract
of no more than 300 words to abi.jagun@manchester.ac.uk. Please include "Mobiles
and Development Workshop" in the Subject field of your email. Paper
submissions should be sent to: Dr Abi Jagun, Development Informatics Group, IDPM,
School of Environment and Development, Precinct Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9QH, UK. Abstracts should be received no later than
Wednesday 28 February 2007.

Participants wishing to attend should complete and return a
registration form to the address above no later than Monday 30 April 2007. Details of the workshop and a copy of the registration form can be found at:
http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/research/events/mobile.htm

Attendance is free of charge and some support for within-UK-only travel
costs may be available to presenters who are members of the Development
Studies Association:

please contact Richard Heeks
(richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk)
convenor of the I,T&D study group in advance of the workshop.