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Workshop on "Mobiles and Development: The Contribution of Mobile Devices to Development" Wednesday 16th May 2007 Development Informatics Group, University of Manchester This is a call for abstracts and first announcement of a workshop of the UK Development Studies Association "Information, Technology and Development" study group on the relation of mobile devices to socio-economic development. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), there are now more mobile subscribers than fixed line subscribers, and mobile teledensity rates continue to outstrip fixed teledensity in every region of the world. ITU statistics show a global increase from approximately 740 million mobile subscribers in 2000 to 2.2 billion subscribers – more than one-third of the world's population – by the end of 2005. With one million new subscribers every day, it is estimated that almost four billion people will have a mobile phone by the end of 2010. Rising uptake of mobile phones is indicative of the huge potential mobile devices have in reaching significant portions of erstwhile excluded populations. This workshop will bring together field evidence on the use of mobile devices in delivering development objectives in a range of developing and transitional countries. It will explore the application of mobile devices to health, education, economic and social empowerment, human rights, commerce, etc. Interested presenters should in the first instance submit an abstract of no more than 300 words to [log in to unmask] Please include "Mobiles and Development Workshop" in the Subject field of your email. Paper submissions should be sent to: Abi Jagun, Development Informatics Group, IDPM, School of Environment and Development, Precinct Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9QH, UK. Abstracts should be received no later than Wednesday 28 February 2007. Participants wishing to attend should complete and return a registration form to the address above no later than Monday 30 April 2007. Details of the workshop and a copy of the registration form can be found at: http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/research/events/mobile.htm Attendance is free of charge and some support for within-UK-only travel costs may be available to presenters who are members of the Development Studies Association: please contact Richard Heeks ([log in to unmask]) – convenor of the I,T&D study group – in advance of the workshop.