The GSMA is launching the Mobile Enabled Community Services (MECS) programme, which leverages mobile technology and infrastructure to help improve access to basic energy and water services in underserved communities. Supported by a 4.1 million GBP grant from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), the programme will support the creation of “new, innovative mobile-enabled technologies” and business models to improve access to energy and water services.
Currently 1.3 billion people (nearly 20% of the world’s population) are without access to energy and 783 million people do not have access to “improved” water resources. This gap is due to challenges such as last mile distribution, operation and maintenance capabilities and costs, and payment ability and collection. MECS will facilitate access to affordable and reliable energy and clean water, which is vital for health and wellbeing and can also help reduce poverty and drive economic growth.
In addition, DFID and the GSMA will also launch a Challenge Fund open to the mobile industry, start-ups, academia and the not-for-profit sector, which will provide seed funding to companies for research to identify and develop pioneering solutions to overcome the challenges and obstacles to community service provision…
And you can get additional information from here.