Read the blog post (with hyperlinks) here: https://communities.cisco.com/community/solutions/sp/mobility/blog/2013/10/21/ioe-mobility-case-study-1-service-providers-facilitate-new-economies-in-developing-countries For more discussions and topics around SP Mobility, please visit our Mobility Community: http://cisco.com/go/mobilitycommunity

1. IoE Mobility Case Study #1: Service Providers Facilitate New Economies in
Developing Countries
By Dee-Dee Atta (Service Provider Marketing Manager, Cisco)
Access to global financial resources for entrepreneurs seeking loans to help develop rural economies
in Kenya has proven to be difficult and expensive. However, Service Providers offer the Mobile
Internet platform that connects previously unconnected rural Kenyans, bringing access to mobile
banking and other global financial options; people and loan accessibility are brought together through
the mobile internet platform. As a result, Kenyans in rural communities are now empowered to create
new business opportunities and ecosystems with Service Provider mobile services as the conduit.
Let’s take a deeper look at the numbers:
Source: Cisco Service Provider Slideshare
Service Providers play a key role in connecting people in previously unconnected areas. By enabling
access to mobile banking and financing options through the Mobile Internet, Service Providers are

2. connecting more people to resources and information than ever before. By bringing these mobile
experiences to life, Service Providers are helping to build the economy of developing countries.
In the heavily populated country of Kenya, 79 percent (source: Rural Poverty Portal) or approximately
34.7 million people are considered rural. For this large rural population, it’s very expensive to gain
access to loans to build and create businesses. Financial institutions are moving toward offering
services via mobile technology; with 75% of banking products now accessible over a mobile phone.
Service Providers bring the Mobile Internet platform which supports new applications to be accessible
through mobile devices. One such application is Kiva Zip Kenya. Kiva Zip Kenya is a micro-lending
service that utilizes mobile money transfer technology to connect lenders and borrowers through an
SMS based banking system. Through mobile banking technology individuals around the world can
lend to Kenyan entrepreneurs who are outside the reach of microfinance institutions and banks.
The Cisco Visual Networking Index 2012-2017 forecasts that mobile data traffic in Middle East and
Africa will grow 17-fold over the period, a compound annual growth rate of 77%.
By connecting Kenyans to investors from all over the globe, Service Providers are opening the door
for the Internet of Everything (IoE) to make these networked connections more relevant and valuable
than ever before. Through Service Providers offering micro-lending connections between people and
applications such as KivaZip Kenya, citizens are able to take advantage of new business
opportunities while improving quality of life for themselves and their communities. This is just one way
the Internet of Everything is helping to build new economies.
Read Kiva Zip’s full story submission here
Follow Kiva on Twitter @kiva
This case study is part 1 of a 5 part series titled IoE Mobility Case Studies. The second case study of
this series will be coming out next Monday 10/28 on how Service Providers deliver mobile healthcare
information across Africa.
More Resources
Slidecast: Service Providers Making Amazing Things Happen: Use Cases for the Internet of
Everything
Visual Networking Index: VNI Mobile Forecast Highlights, 2012-2017
For more discussions and topics around SP Mobility, please visit our Mobility Community:
http://cisco.com/go/mobilitycommunity