The development of a low cost SMS Marketplace system: A Pilot study.

The use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment or access to the Internet is often beyond the financial reach of many citizens of lower income communities in developing countries. The exposure to many modern-day opportunities that ICT offers can therefore not be realised by such communities. In addition, the slow deployment of power and telecommunication infrastructure exasperates this problem. However, many initiatives all over the world aim to reduce the cost of technology, for example the $100 PC and others. One way of providing access to the Internet for example, is to utilise cellular telephony. Cellular telephones have become affordable because they double as both, voice and data communication devices. In addition, they also offer limited computing capability. This Pilot study investigated the feasibility of deploying a low cost prototype SMS1 Marketplace system in rural communities, to connect subsistence farmers to markets in nearby town. Although the SMS Marketplace system does not aim to provide Internet access per sé, it is however, a low cost technology that provides buyers and sellers to interact using Short Message Service (SMS) and voice communication. It is possible to extend the system in future to provide access to global markets via the Internet. In addition, the paper provides valuable feedback obtained from a number of respondents relating to the acceptance of technology into their communities. The authors conclude the research by revealing the findings and making some recommendations, also considering the way forward. 1 Short Message Service, a service provided on cellular telephones by which a short message of approximately 160 characters that can be sent and received from any cellular telephone.