“The research reported in this volume was undertaken at a time when the poor were starting to take part in the information society through the usage of ICTs. Current stories were and still are encountered in the press every day on how the mobile phone and internet are being used innovatively in resource limited situations. What were previously potential possibilities of use by
the most vulnerable are now possible. Nevertheless, we remain uncertain of
whether the poor have been able to use these digital devices to move out of poverty. What are truly the changes in the lives of the poor? Are the poor truly participants within this context of fast growth of mobile phone services and mobile internet usage? How far can we go to measure the poverty level
changes as a result of ICT usage? Lastly, with such evidence, what then are the ICT policies that need to be developed in order to support the progress of the poor?”
