Press release for the "Conservation News" section of Oryx, January 2006

Uptake of mobile phones in developed – and developing countries – continues unabated. The African continent alone has witnessed growth rates in excess of 100% over the past twelve months. In many cases, mobile telephony has become people’s only means of telecommunication in a continent where landline infrastructure is generally poor. Mobile phones are now considered a key tool in closing the digital divide and rates of ownership, even among some of the poorest members of society,
is surprisingly high.

Left: Sample screenshot from the SendConsole screen, where group messages are compiled and sent. Additional toolbar buttons give access to several other modules which carry out other functions, such as SurveyManager and ContactManager. The system is compact and functions through a single, easy-to-use interface

As mobile phone ownership balloons, so does access to, and use of, text messaging (SMS). Unlike costly voice calls, text messages allow people to exchange information and communicate at both national and international level at relatively low cost. The potential of mobile phones – and SMS in particular – to provide some of the poorest people in the world with local, relevant, useful information has not gone un-noticed, and many NGOs are beginning to take a closer look.

Patients now receive SMS reminders to take their medicine, saving time and money travelling to local clinics. Farmers receive details of market prices and demand for their products before heading off to market. National parks communicate details of dangerous animals, providing an early warning system to mitigate against human/wildlife conflict. Young people living in the slums of Nairobi receive texts alerting them to job opportunities in the city. The breadth of use of SMS is staggering, and we have only just scratched the surface.

Until now, many NGOs have independently implemented SMS systems, some going as far as designing and developing their own applications from scratch. This is of little use to the wider community. FrontlineSMS was launched towards the end of 2005 specifically to bridge this gap – aiming to provide an affordable, standalone turn-key SMS solution to NGOs. FrontlineSMS allows them – many for the first time – to access 'bulk' SMS technology giving them the ability to carry out small- to medium-scale trials before embarking on possible larger project proposals.

Although SMS systems do exist, few if any have been designed with the NGO sector in mind and almost all require reliable internet connectivity, a problem in many developing countries. FrontlineSMS works off a laptop, a cable and most standard GSM mobile phones, giving true portability and users will be encouraged to share views, experiences and ideas via an on-line forum.

Full details are available on the FrontlineSMS website at  www.frontlinesms.com