Article
At first they all came. One by one, each talked on Laily Begum’s wondrous new possession, a mobile phone. A caller might come to check on money that her husband was supposed to send from his job as a day laborer in Dubai, or to keep tabs on the son who had moved to Chittagong in hopes of finding seaport work. But that was in the beginning, a decade ago. These days, cell phones are so commonplace that most visitors come only for a haircut, a shave, groceries or a place to sleep, all of which Begum offers now. The few wireless calls are no longer made from her home. This comprehensive article looks at what happens as personal phone ownership increases in rural communities across the developing world, and it’s impact on village phone operators.