Village Phone Program launches in Indonesia (Indonesia)Bangladeshi Grameen Foundation in colaboration with Indonesia’s Bakrie Telecom and Qualcomm have launched the first Village Phone Program in Indonesia, branded as Uber ESIA, using 3G CDMA technology to provide affordable wireless telecommunications services for rural communities.
The trio will be working with local Indonesian microfinance institutions to enable microfinance clients to borrow the money needed to purchase a Village Phone “business in a box,” which consists of a wireless 3G CDMA-based phone and charger, marketing materials, tariff posters, business cards and training materials. The Village Phone Operators (VPOs) will operate their businesses in rural villages where telecommunications services did not previously exist, renting the use of the phone within their communities on a per-call basis.
The VPOs will provide affordable rates to their subscribers, while earning enough to repay their loan and earn a profit that will allow them to make investments in their family’s health, nutrition and education, and in other business ventures. The project aims to empower underserved communities in rural Indonesia with mobile communications using Bakrie Telecom’s Uber ESIA service based on 3G CDMA wireless technology. Another plus point of this program will be empowering women who live in rural area.
