Cell Phones Essay Example for Free (#2)

Cell Phones Essay Cell phones are the way of life today. In the US, little kids are carrying around the newest iPhone versions. Closing the digital divide requires studying and learning about the country’s needs and capabilities of upgrading to the digital world. There are countries that are financially unable to afford a cell phone, but it should be the cell phone companies that should be able to work around various prices for cell phones. For example, in the U.S. the iPhone is taking over and consumers require the latest technologies. As the phones get older, companies should send those phones to less developed countries in an effort to grow the digital market and close the digital divide. As the article mentions, India leads the way with 756 million subscribers, while being a developing country. All it takes is an introduction to the country and cell phones begin to spread like wildfire. They market themselves once introduced in a country at a reasonable price. If the price is too much for a single family to afford, the family can set goals to attain a cell phone in the future. Either way, cell phones sell themselves. â€Å"To get a sense of how rapidly cell phones are penetrating the global marketplace, you need only to look at the sales figures. According to statistics from the market database Wireless Intelligence, it took about 20 years for the first billion mobile phones to sell worldwide. The second billion sold in four years, and the third billion sold in two. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives within range of a cellular network, which is double the level in 2000† (Corbett, 2008). In 2008, these statistics show that cell phone market was on a rise. Since iPhone’s introduction in 2007, the cell phone market has grown even more substantially, especially in the U.S. I can speak for the ever-increasing mobile service in India as even rickshaw drivers who make about 50 rupees (about $1.25) in two hours are carrying a cell phone. Companies such as Obopay and Moka are transforming the service provider payment plan to pay as to go in various countries. â€Å"Obopay, for instance, is enabling third-world countries including India to receive and send payments via text message, while Moka provides language translations, such as English to Chinese† . This is a way to close the divide. If a family cannot afford to pay a consistent wage every month for a cell phone, companies such as Obopay are able to provide the pay as you go plan. Families and individuals in India pay as they go, they utilize their cell phones, as they need to, according to how much they are able to afford. Through these payment plans, cell phone companies can sell their phones to a mass audience in large countries like India and China. One company that has millions of customers in third world countries is Nokia. â€Å"There are entire chunks of the planet where Nokia has a virtual monopoly because no other manufacturer even wants to compete† . With the iPhone and Android dominating the U.S. market, Nokia has found its niche in third-world countries. The countries where consumers cannot yet afford the newest iPhone are turning to Nokia. They have positioned themselves as #1 ahead of Samsung, Apple, Motorola and anyone else. This is because they saw a market opportunity and are utilizing the need for cell phones around the world. The U.S. may be looking for new technology, but to the third world countries, simple Nokia phones are new technology. Corbett, S. (2008, April 13). Can the Cell Phone Help End Global Poverty. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?pagewanted=all Openshaw, J. (2009, May 24). Mobile Phones: Key To Developing Nations. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/23/mobile-phones-key-to-deve_n_190809.html Raby, M. (2012, January 30). Nokia still top mobile phone maker. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from TG Daily: http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-brief/61102-nokia-still-top-mobile-phone-maker Cell Phones. (2017, Jan 19).