VOALearningEnglish2013.2.26---How Mobile Phones Are Changing Life in Africa

VOALearningEnglish2013.2.26---How Mobile Phones Are Changing Life in Africa
From VOA Learning English, we bring you news about technology in Special English. The World Bank estimates there are about 650 million mobile phone users in African countries south of the Sahara desert. That is greater than the number of users in the United States and the European Union. Samia Melhem works for the World Bank to increase information technologies in Africa. She says mobile phones are Africa's fastest-growing technology. She says more Africans have access to the Internet than to clean water or sanitation. She says mobile technology has brought about huge changes in how people live. CNN television recently named seven ways life has been revolutionized by mobile phones. They include political activism, education, entertainment, disaster management, agriculture, and health. Banking is another industry that has been transformed by mobile phones. Reports say at least half of the adults in Gabon, Kenya, and Sudan use mobile money. Rene Mendy sells goods in the streets of Dakar, Senegal. But he never had enough money to open a bank account. Now he uses a mobile phone banking service called Orange Money. With his telephone, he can add or take out as little as one dollar from his account. He can make payments and send money to family members who live far away. Orange Money says it serves 4 million customers in 10 countries. The World Bank's Samia Melhem notes that the French company is facing competition from other mobile banking services. That is not a surprise. The cost of sending a payment by phone is far lower than with traditional transfer agents like Western Union. For VOA Learning English, I'm Laurel Bowman.(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 04Feb2013)
美國之音學習英語，我們為您帶來有關技術在特別英語新聞。據世界銀行估計，有大約650萬移動電話用戶的撒哈拉沙漠以南非洲國家。這是大於用戶的數量在美國和歐洲聯盟。薩米亞Melhem世界銀行工作，提高信息技術在非洲。她說，手機是非洲發展最快的技術。她說，非洲人必須接入互聯網，而不是清潔的水或衛生設施。她說，移動技術已在人們的生活帶來了巨大的變化。CNN電視最近被任命的生活已經徹底改變了手機的七種方法。他們包括政治活動，教育，娛樂，災害管理，農業，和健康。銀行是行業的另一手機已轉化。報導說，至少有一半在加蓬，肯尼亞和蘇丹的成年人使用手機的錢。劉若英門迪銷售貨物的街道上，塞內加爾的達喀爾。但他從來沒有足夠的錢開一個銀行賬戶。現在他用的是手機銀行服務橙色貨幣。隨著他的電話，他可以添加或取出，少一美元從他的賬戶。他可以使支付和匯款到家庭成員住得很遠。橙色的錢說，這10個國家的400萬客戶提供服務。世界銀行的薩米亞Melhem指出，這家法國公司面臨的競爭從其他手機銀行服務。這是不是一個驚喜。支付的手機發送的成本遠遠低於傳統的傳輸代理，如西聯匯款。美國之音學英語，我是鮑曼桂冠。（改編自一個電台節目廣播04Feb2013）