The Farmer and the Phone

When I was starting my exciting career in tech journalism, one of the first columns I wrote was about my previous experience in the real estate industry doing development work. I had been dubbed the “one man PR guy” for making sure that when a resort moves into rural land, the local inhabitants were taken care of. I wrote about a particular case – when mobile phones still didn’t have a coored screen – and the farmers around the area used the phones to denote status. But it wasn’t just about being a “status symbol.” They’d pimp these phones out. There was a mod back then which I’ve never seen before, allowing you to covert your regular numerical keypad into that of the Nokia 3650. He’d also change the LED lights to that of many colors.

So it is true. Even in the provinces, expenditures do go out for mobile phones. I conducted a survey once that showed how the top priorities tend to go to electricity bills and cooperative expenses (food is harvested). I’d assume that for those who had phones, electricity went to that and the television.

Phone services would also be set up in the areas with no land line coverage – those with cellphones would automatically turn it into a business for SMS and calls (although today, places in rural areas might be able to use these CDMA enabled wireless landlines)

So much effort given to a mobile phone, and it’s pretty amazing at what they were able to do. One of the truths of poverty is that there’s the one we see in the cities – the ugly poverty we see in the streets. But rural poverty, to be completely honest, is fascinating. Because it isn’t about being miserable. They have food, clothing, shelter and who cares if their lifestyles are very different?

[Photo c/o Nokia]