An Indian talks on his mobile phone during a mass marriage ceremony for some 525 poverty-stricken couples from the India-Pakistan border area on April 13, 2009.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
An Indian talks on his mobile phone during a mass marriage ceremony for some 525 poverty-stricken couples from the India-Pakistan border area on April 13, 2009.
A woman speaks on a mobile phone in front of Kibera, one of the world's largest slums, on February 16, 2009, near Nairobi. Mobile phone growth in Africa has grown more than 400% from 2005 to 2010.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
A woman speaks on a mobile phone in front of Kibera, one of the world's largest slums, on February 16, 2009, near Nairobi. Mobile phone growth in Africa has grown more than 400% from 2005 to 2010.
A vendor of mobile phones in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 2007. The cost of cell phones have dropped in the past decade, which saw mobile subscriptions grow to 4 billion in the developing world.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
A vendor of mobile phones in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 2007. The cost of cell phones have dropped in the past decade, which saw mobile subscriptions grow to 4 billion in the developing world.
This April 17, 2009 shows an Indian vendor using her mobile phone to take customers orders at a wholesale market on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The simple ability to make a phone call has had far-reaching economic consequences, analysts say.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
This April 17, 2009 shows an Indian vendor using her mobile phone to take customers orders at a wholesale market on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The simple ability to make a phone call has had far-reaching economic consequences, analysts say.
AFP/Getty Images
Bengladeshi refugees from Libya recharge their cellular telephones on March 9 at the Choucha camp in Tunisia near the border with Libya.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
Bengladeshi refugees from Libya recharge their cellular telephones on March 9 at the Choucha camp in Tunisia near the border with Libya.
A Chinese tourist talks on his phone while riding a camel through the sand dunes in China's northwest Gansu province on September 27, 2008. Low-cost cell phone towers allows mobile coverage in ever more remote locations.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
A Chinese tourist talks on his phone while riding a camel through the sand dunes in China's northwest Gansu province on September 27, 2008. Low-cost cell phone towers allows mobile coverage in ever more remote locations.
A disabled beggar looks on as another beggar talks on a mobile phone in a market in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on November 19, 2008. A 2006 University of Michigan study found that every 10% increase in cell phone penetration grows the local economy by 0.6%.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
A disabled beggar looks on as another beggar talks on a mobile phone in a market in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on November 19, 2008. A 2006 University of Michigan study found that every 10% increase in cell phone penetration grows the local economy by 0.6%.
Thai orphans gather around watching videos on an iPhone at the Phuwana Muay Thai Kickboxing Camp on October 4, 2008, an hour outside of Bangkok. "Increased mobile connectivity in schools, as you can imagine, has had a profound effect," said economist Jeffrey Sachs.
The 'end of isolation' for world's poor —
Thai orphans gather around watching videos on an iPhone at the Phuwana Muay Thai Kickboxing Camp on October 4, 2008, an hour outside of Bangkok. "Increased mobile connectivity in schools, as you can imagine, has had a profound effect," said economist Jeffrey Sachs.