VNL

The microtelecom revolution starts here 1 Mar, 2008

Billions of people have never made a phonecall. Ever. And wealth follows phones - it’s estimated that a 10% increase in a country’s mobile penetration results in a 1.2% increase in GDP.

But current expensive and power-hungry infrastructure is not made for areas where there’s no grid power, where people are only able to pay $3 per month for communication, where climate is demanding and road access is scarce.

Fortunately, for operators and rural & remote citizens alike, there’s now a solution to this dilemma. That both assists operators in reaching new customers and involves rural communities in their own ascent.

Introducing Microtelecom

VNL has coined the term microtelecom to describe the market we are pioneering. Microtelecom is the optimization of telecom infrastructure for a very specific application: serving the low-income, hard-to-reach communities in rural areas.

Like microfinance, microtelecom is based on the belief that “bottom of the pyramid” consumers can be profitably served — as long as the product or service is designed appropriately.

Microtelecom refers to technology that has been designed from the ground up for low-income rural users, not just adapted from solutions for the developed world.

A call to action!

This blog will discuss the environmental, social and financial benefits of the Microtelecom Revolution.

We want to inspire and involve mobile operators, handset manufacturers, equipment vendors and rural entrepreneurs alike.

Microtelecom stretches far beyond VNL - it is a new industry segment and a new way of looking at mobile telecommunication.

To reach the billions that have yet to make a phone call - to connect the unconnected - we all need to cooperate.

We are looking forward to continue the discussion with you!

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