Developing and Using Low-End Mobile Tools, Including SMS, SIM Toolkit, and Simple Apps

Session #2: Mobile Development

I. What are the different technologies using mobile?

a. SMS Blasts (consider reliability, cost, features, security)

b. 5 digit (“short code”) to get people to sign-up (expensive!)

c. International blast: set up via local servers

d. Mobile money: Kenya is the leading market, culturally because they have established job and were exchanging money via mobile. Philippines has it. India is

    trying. Use “airtime” to pay.

e. Premium SMS - using mobile money to donate via text. Google non-profit SMS

II. Considerations

a. Low-end phone companies can’t receive blast texts (t-mobile)

b. Build capacity with a small number of people

c. Problem with SMS: security issues

III. Resources

d. Twilio

e. Frontline SMS (USB modem or phone)

f. Google Voice (US only, free text messages)

g. Clicktatell.com (gateway provider)

h. BulkSMS.com (gateway provider)

i. GSMarena.com

j. Credo Mobile (networked with Sprint, but doesn’t have access to all phones; it has a smaller framework; limited within theirsystem and framework)

k. Text Eagle: pay to text tasks; good for surveys/field data collection. It has 3 million subscribers.

l. SIM Toolkit – barrier of entry is high

m. WHAP – low end browsers on low-feature phones