Impact study of the arrival of a new mobile phone operator in Haiti

Do telecoms really contribute to the economic development of developing countries? The question is not new. Even though 10 years ago, economists were thinking that only developed countries could benefit from mature telecommunications, the phenomenal success of mobiles has changed the deal. In November 2009, the number of GSM users reached 4 billion people in the World. Many studies showed that mobile phone had a positive role on the economic growth, such as the Grameen Foundation who helps to “Village Phone” Development, concept of shared mobiles, creating a new source of income for hundreds of thousands of women in Bangladesh or in Africa. Meanwhile, other studies from the UN have raised the alert this autumn on the negative side-effects of the telecom expenses on the food budget in African countries.