What services does a Village Telco offer?
The focus on voice services is quite deliberate. While the poor in developing countries ultimately need access to both voice and data (Internet) services, we believe that affordable voice is what is needed first. Having said that, the Village Telco is based on Internet technology which is equally capable of providing data access. This capability can evolve as demand for information services increases. There is also the possibility for innovation in other kinds of services. Because the Village Telco can offer pay-as-you-go billing for voice and data services, there is the opportunity for innovation in financial transactions. Just as has happened in the mobile world, phone or data credits could emerge as local currency for currently un-monetized transactions. Currently this is just speculation though.
