Telecom Lead Asia: Ruma, Grameen Foundation and
Qualcomm, through its Wireless Reach initiative, have launched Market
Intelligence tools and applications for microentrepreneurs.
These mobile survey tools will allow businesses to better
understand the needs and interests of low-income consumers, while providing
additional revenue for some of the world’s poorest people.
Companies can use the Market
Intelligence technology to survey Ruma’s network of more than 15,000
microentrepreneurs, including low-income consumers and retailers – a
traditionally challenging demographic to reach and study.
By taking part in the mobile surveys, the
microentrepreneurs have the opportunity to generate additional income by being
respondents and conducting surveys of their customers.
Ruma currently offers three Market
Intelligence products that are the Remote Analysis service, the Field
Research service and the Retail Marketing Experiment.
The Market Intelligence tools and applications are
part of the Application Laboratory (AppLab) project that partners announced in
2010.
“The AppLab mobile survey application is a powerful
example of how wireless technology can stimulate economic growth and improve
the livelihood of underserved communities,” said Bill Bold, senior vice
president of Government Affairs for Qualcomm.
The AppLab suite of applications includes “Jual Pulsa,”
which allows microentrepreneurs to sell airtime credit and “Kerja
Lokal,” a subscription service that connects the underserved to informal
sector job opportunities.
On the other hand, Jennifer Meehan, SVP of programs and
regions & CEO Asia Region at Grameen Foundation said that the new potent
combination will enable us to understand the needs and desires of the poor and
poorest in ways we never have before
For the past five years, Ruma has been working with
Grameen Foundation and Qualcomm on the AppLab project, which enables poor
entrepreneurs, mostly women, in Indonesia to provide a range of mobile
phone-based services to people in their communities.
Grameen Foundation receives fund from eBay and Qualcomm for
mobile microfranchise program in Indonesia
Last year, Grameen Foundation received from fund from
eBay and Qualcomm for mobile microfranchise program in Indonesia. The
foundation received a grant from eBay to help expand its initiative to create
mobile phone microfranchise businesses for the poor in Indonesia.
editor@telecomelad.com
