New Delhi, July 9 (KNN) Smartphones could reduce inequalities for women, micro entrepreneurs and small farmers, said a latest report. The report highlights the benefits of smartphones for disadvantaged groups and recommends the policy steps that governments can take to tackle inequality.

The report was release by the telecom giant Vodafone, in its publication on’ towards a more equal world: the mobile internet revolution’.

Mobile internet access has enormous potential to boost income and socioeconomic opportunities in developing markets, but failing to make it accessible to disadvantaged groups could further embed and deepen inequalities, said the report

Authored by independent experts, Towards a more equal world: the mobile internet revolution looks at how the shift to smartphones and data services in emerging markets represents a turning point.  The specific opportunities of mobile internet access for disadvantaged groups are identified and policy steps governments can take to address inequalities are recommended. 

The report further find that education affects how people use their devices and the value they derive from mobile internet access.  Mobile internet access is pivotal in reducing information asymmetries and equalising access to wider social networks and opportunities, but digital literacy is also important in ensuring that potential is realised.

It also finds that developing locally-produced information and apps increases the future usefulness of mobile internet access, but represents a challenge because of the high costs of creating ‘hyperlocal’ apps – including those offering detailed agricultural information.

Access to spectrum in sufficient quantities at market-determined prices are critical to continued investment in mobile broadband networks, said the report.

Access to spectrum in sufficient quantities at market-determined prices is critical to continued investment in mobile broadband networks. 

Smartphones and small farmers in India, where the impact of information and mobile access on yields can lead to a 50% increase in a small farmer’s revenue where the correct inputs are used and better knowledge is applied.  A 1% increase in yields leads to a 0.6 – 1.3% reduction in poverty, having a greater impact than prices alone. (KNN Bureau)