Article
This article was inspired by the publication of a recent article by Fast Company magazine which questioned the continued utility of the Village Phone model in Bangladesh as cell phones become more commonplace (search for “Unplanned Obsolescence” in the Mobile Database for that article). Peter Bladin, a Vice President at Grameen Foundation and Director of Grameen Foundation’s Technology Center, argues in this article that Village Phone remains a viable model due to persistent market shortcomings in many parts of the developing world.