Mobile phones have several beneficial as well as negative effects considering the social and economic impacts on developing

countries. Barberousse et. al. (2009) noticed a substantial increase in mobile telephony since 2000. Because landlines are only available to 5% of the population, mobile phones make telecommunications available to many for the first time. Especially in rural areas mobile phones provide improved insight to market demands, which increases profits for the population according to Khalil et. al. (2009). On the other hand, the costs for mobile phones are also the major expense item in developing countries, reducing the amount of money available for basic needs (Lfilleur, 2009). This is mitigated by the fact that mobiles provide social contact for people working away from their home, according to a research by Vodafone (2005). Another result mentioned is the reduction of travel costs by providing contact to distant institutions such as universities.