Mobile Telecommunications and the Impact on Economic Development - Report Example

Mobile Technology Mobile Technology Introduction When Neil Armstrong was in the moon in 1969, it was mobile technology that allowed him to communicate back on Earth. In the 21st century, Mobile phones are helping individuals, communities take giant leaps forward by through digital revolution. It changes the way we work, converse and play with each other. Currently, the smallest mobile phone has as much computing power as the largest and most expensive computer had few generations ago. We are living in the age of intelligent machines involved in perpetual communication. They create new networks of knowledge, empowerment and information worldwide. Mobile phones are helping build a future that is safe, simple and smartly synchronized. At the heart of any technological, mobile phone included, change depends on human experience. It is in understanding of how the digital world is being changed by everyone, that we gain insight into the shape of expected things and outcomes. History Cell phone technology is derives from radio technology that evolved from the 1940s. The first official cell phone was used by the Swedish police in 1946. The technology linked to the telephone network and characterized two way radio technologies. The phone was not highly practical; it could make 6 phone calls and the cars battery would be drained. Bell Labs started the modern cell phones technology in 1947. It evolved to first generation of cell phones in 1983, second and third generation cellular phones in 1990s and 2000s respectively. The following steps describe some of the famous mobile phone developments in history. First commercial cellphone The United States Federal Communications Commission approved DynaTAC, a Motorola phone for public use. The first DynaTACs phone became available for consumers in the fear 1984. The original smartphone IBM and Bellsouth announced creation of the Simon personal communicator phone. This was the worlds first smartphone ever. Simon was to be a cellphone at first and later configured to a computer. Cellphone cameras The first phones containing in-built cameras became public available 1n 2002. The phones include the Nokia 7650 and Sanyo SPC-5300. BlackBerrys first integrated phone The Waterloo formerly known as Research in Motion unveiled its first integrated phone in 2003. BlackBerry 6210 was the first device the company offered. The phone could email, text, browse the web, and Blackberry messenger service. IPhone launch The first kin of an iPhone was launched by in January 2007 by Apple. The phone combined three products: an iPod, a mobile phone, and a wireless communication device. Social impact Mobile phone calls come at any time, place, and while in the company of of onlookers and eavesdroppers. The manner of handling such interventions has been debated and in particular, the ability to handle them. The recipient and the people within earshot have been the subject of an important social skill. A ringing mobile phone will takes precedence over other social interactions it disrupts. The need to answer a call outweighs the importance of maintaining a face-to-face conversation. A silent mobile makes its presence felt as if it were part of a social group. The mobile phone siphons concentration and demands attention even when not in use. For many couples, it can be a powerful distracter just like a third person. In such a situation, the phone is an unwanted addition to the pair.1 Observers are tolerant of users when mobile phone use is long-standing and high. Users tend to be considerate and sensitive to the surroundings than counterparts in countries where the mobile technology is less integrated into their lives. Users in countries where there are also more mobile phones are likely to use the phones for other duties than telephony. The use may be offensive and discreet. Among groups of friends and associates, mobile conflicts are best avoided through the group’s adherence to shared set of values, rules, and practices. Two kinds of group are involved here: innies and outies. The innies are those groups where the mobile is used unobtrusively. When making or receiving calls, members of these groups leave the table or nod an apology and turns away from the face of others. The basic response for innies is flight. Members display unwillingness in interrupting the present conversation. When they interrupt, use their bodies to establish boundaries. They often turn away or absent themselves from the group. While people do not discuss such rules, there are contexts and groups where they do emerge.2 For outies, the mobile phone is far readily integrated into the group interaction. These groups have a high preponderance of people and their mobiles on display. The phones are placed on the table as though to announce the owners’ arrival or presence. The primary mode is persistence. They remain on their seats while receiving calls. The mood of such groups is generally sociable, playful, and chatty Location is equally important to mobile behavior as the same way social groups do. Some places are restricted against mobile use such as in hospitals, while driving and flying. Restaurants in some cities have introduced ‘mobile-free’ and ‘no-mobile’ policies and zones. The policies attempt to maintain the senses of personal space and privacy that are considered important to the atmosphere Effects on the economy The impacts of increasing mobile phone subscriptions show GDP growth in 10 nations for the years 2010 to 2020. The growth ranges between 1.8% in the United Kingdom and 24.9% in Egypt. Mobile phones give rise to new applications and services that provide opportunities for income generation. The access to increased communication and information through mobile phones facilitates coordination which results in productivity gains. Mobiles enable immediate responses to shocks and crises which without them would lead destruction of properties and loss of lives.3 Economic impacts are largest in developing countries due to high rates of mobile phone subscriptions. Mobiles fill the gap that non-existent infrastructure in these countries leave wide open. This explains why many mobile-related innovations are adopted quickly in developing countries. Mobiles phones are the only fast ways of communication without having to travel under risky and difficult circumstances. In developed countries, the effects of mobile phone subscriptions on growth are small. Economic effects in the developed countries are pronounced due to low mobile phone subscriptions and good infrastructure. 4.6 billion People subscribed in 2009, this is equal to 67 per cent of the world’s population. In developing countries, there were 3.2 billion subscriptions compared to 1.4 billion in developed countries.4 The importance of the telecommunications sector is evident through calculations of telecommunications revenues in GDP. Telecommunications services accounted for 4.8% of the GDP in sub Saharan Africa as compared to 3.1% in the European Union. The pervasiveness of mobile technology in transforming how economic activity is organized suggests that it has features of a general purpose technology. Mobile telecommunications affect how users interact and the economic activities they are used to. Political impacts The widespread use of mobile phones and in places such as Africa has had serious political repercussions. Mobile communication technology is credited with playing a key role in the Arab Spring. The Arab spring sparked protest movements in the North Africa and Middle East. In Mozambique, mobile phones have improved voter education and political participation. In Namibia, using cell phone allowed citizens to hold the government officials accountable and reduce corruption. Mobile phones add new dimensions to political technology as a form of interactive media. Internet enabled phones allow people to spread information, ideas, and organize political protests. Information is generated from the public and is directed to the public.  Efforts to shut down mobile technologies are always overcome by hackers and political organizers. Mobilization of the public through mobile phones has managed to overcome the impact of money in the electoral system. When the US Supreme Court gave a ruling that political campaign contributions in form of speech could not be limited, the ability to regulate money in politics was ended. The use of the web enabled phones to raise political cash came to the limelight during Howard Dean’s presidential campaign. It was further made a form of art during the Obama campaign Cultural changes Cell phones affect the built environment through widespread advertising in industrialized cities and also in the third world nations. Unlike the Internet, which sparks fears of digital divide between the developed and industrialized worlds, mobile phones are popular all over the world. The mobile phone is viewed as glamorous and inexpensive. Mobile users personalize and decorate and their phones which give rise to folk art cottage industries. The mobile phone is kind of art in itself. The choice of phone and decorations made on is a kind of personal statement.5 The use of mobile phones has caused changes in cultural norms. Businesses, parks, and movie theaters are areas in which the extent of mobile phone conversations has been unclear and disputed. The Metropolitan Museum of Art prohibits the use of cell phones, but this does not stop individuals from using them. Cell phones have prioritized communication with distant people than those who share one’s space.6 Classrooms have also been affected by cell phones. In a study done, four percent of students interviewed recommended the use of mobile phones in classroom. A record 41% of the students said they had used phones to check messages while in class. A third of them said playing mobile phone games in class was appropriate Although mobile phones have small screen sizes, people use them to watch television in an effort to keep distance from crowded situations which distracts their attention. People watch videos over the phone despite their wary of two way video, that is concerns over surveillance and privacy. Conclusion Mobile phones have changed the world completely. They are used them in school, business, for leisure time, and so much more. Mobile technology has brought a multitasking ability that was absent before. People text message, listen to music, and web search all at the same time. The possibilities in mobile phones are endless and the mobile technology will be incredible in future. Everyone now and then, new features are added that makes it amazing. Mobile technology will keep advancing to keep pace the ever changing society. Bibiography Aker, Jenny, and Isaac Mbiti. Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa. Munich: Twenty-First Century Books, 2012. Gruber, Harald, and Pantelis Koutroumpis. Mobile Telecommunications and the Impact on Economic Development. MEXICO: pantheon books, 2010. Plant, Sadie. On the mobile. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006 Read More