What is a Village Phone Salon?
The Village Phone Salon will be a small wooden structure near the residence of its business owners or in a central market place. Phone Ladies or operators run the VPS. The Phone Ladies run the various phone services. These tasks are selling prepaid telephone cards to customers who have their own mobile phones, managing the salon phone services (customers making outgoing local and international calls, as well as noting down messages of incoming calls), charging customer’s mobile phone batteries, and selling snacks and beverages to customers. All of these services are offered for fees.
Charging Station
Fig. 1: New Yorker: Conference Video, Mobile Technology presentation by Younghee Jung from Nokia, 30.05.07
There is no need for electricity in the VPS, since car batteries are used to charge the mobile phones of the Phone Ladies, as well as the mobile phones of the VPS customers. The phones being charged are locked in a cupboard for safety (Fig.1).
Antenna Booster
Fig.2: screenshot source http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crHS9YEx4lg
A tall antenna is installed at the side of the VPS structure that acts as a booster to increase phone reception, a problem in many rural communities. This means that people from the near lying areas can come and make calls near the VPS, thus creating a social, as well a business environment (Fig.2).
Simple Wind Generator/ Alternator/ Battery Charger
Fig. 3: screenshot source http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlysuiRf0wQ&feature=related
A simple wind generator mounted on a wooden mast recharges the batteries. Wind generators are commonly used on sailing boats. The wind generator has an alternator that is used to recharge the car batteries and thus charge the mobile phones (Fig.3).
The Phone Ladies running the salons need to receive training, enough that they feel certain and self-assured in handling the phone salons. The training includes best business practices, as well as technology, bookkeeping, and marketing information. With sincere intentions, structured collaboration, and hard work, we are certain that we can manage to achieve our goals
