Title: Serving the poor by marketing information: developing a sustainable village phone model in Bangladesh

Authors: M. Shahriar Akter, Jay Rajasekera, M. Mahfuzur Rahman

Addresses: School of Information Systems, Technology and Management, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. ' Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan, Minami uonuma City, Niigata, 949 7277, Japan. ' Leeds School of Accountancy and Financial Services, Leeds Metropolitan University, 22 Queen Square, Leeds LSE2 8AF, UK

Abstract: Wireless technologies have created an unprecedented opportunity for rural customers in the developing world to solve their communication and information problems in an instantaneous, interactive and customised way. The framework of the study focuses on existing mobile village phone model in Bangladesh and suggests ways to make it sustainable through mobile information services marketing. The study has treated |village phone| as a cost effective and interactive channel through which various information services can be marketed to serve customers in the rural settings.

Keywords: developing countries; developing economies; emerging economies; business research; information marketing; Grameenphone; Grameen Telecom; village phone model; sustainable development; sustainability; Bangladesh; rural communities; poverty; telecommunications; telephones; wireless technologies; payphones; mobile phones; cell phones; mobile communications; mobile services; m-services.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2010.032297

International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 2010 Vol.2 No.3/4, pp.288 - 309

Published online: 29 Mar 2010 *

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