Mobiles4All: New Users, New Insights, Better Data

Margaret McConnell of Harvard University and Mindy Hernandez of Mobiles4All (M4A) in the U.S. will generate rich datasets related to mobile phone use in Africa by providing mobile phones and incentives for users to share data. These datasets are of value to policymakers to promote the use of mobile money. They are collaborating with mobile network operator Vodacom Mozambique, behavioral scientists at Harvard University and developmental experts. They will run a pilot test, offering at-cost smart phones to 5,000 low-income customers in Mozambique, and evaluate the value of offering rewards in exchange for completing phone-based surveys. These surveys will be far quicker and simpler and cost less than traditional population-based surveys. They will combine the survey data with mobile network data, and package the results into a simple dashboard that can inform about mobile money use and how it might be enhanced.