The need of the hour is the know-how of purposeful use of the mobile phone phenomenon, says ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) CEO Reshan Dewapura.

Dewapura said so addressing the South Asian Mobile Conference 2012 held in Colombo recently.

ICTA CEO Reshan Dewapura gesticulates to Mobilium International CEO and Founder Member Ralph Simon while (on the right) Author cum Consultant and Motivational Speaker Tomi T. Ahonen and Author cum Consultant and AMIC Research Advisor Dr. Madanmohan Rao are engaged in a conversation at the South Asian Mobile Conference 2012 in Colombo

Underlining the key role of the mobile phone now and in the future Dewapura said: “It is obvious that the mobile revolution as we call it, will play a key role now and in our futures. It is something that we simply cannot ignore, something that we need to factor into our day-to-day businesses, day-to-day activities and simply in our day-today lives.

Emphasizing the need of the hour and the aim of the conference and the agenda tailor-made for it, ICTA CEO said “The need of the hour is the knowledge and intelligence on how to use this mobile phone phenomenon / trend /revolution - whatever we may call it, for the purposes that we want to. To figure out what applications and content are needed, to leverage the capabilities of this powerful tool, and be innovative and pioneering in the creation of these. This is what this conference, the South Asian Mobile conference is all about.”

Explaining how progress and the impact of the mobile phone led to Sri Lanka hosting the conference for the third time consecutively Dewapura said:“From the progression that we have witnessed from the past to the present, this is one event that has for sure gone from success to success. Part of that is due to the achievements in the past years and the other part is the ever growing influence of the mobile phone. The substantial and continuous development in our ICT journey, as well as the phenomenal impact of the mobile sphere on the ICT sector are now well accepted facts.

“The mobile revolution is a great phenomenon that we all can leverage on, to ensure that the benefits of our development activity flows to the ordinary citizens of our countries. The mobile is a tool that is now in the hands of almost every person in the country. “Be it a basic phone or a smart phone this is something everyone needs to take into consideration, not only for development activities, but also for service delivery. Whether it be in the Government or the private sector the pivotal role of the mobile phone is widely pervasive. It impacts on marketing, advertising, research, development, education,, entertainment, and for many other things in our daily lives – both in our professional and our personal lives”.

Describing how the mobile phone could make people highly efficient in the use of the mobile phone - even though their traditional literacy rate was quite poor, Dewapura said: “Recently I met a bunch of kids at a gathering. They were all from diverse geographies across the country, but very definitely from poor rural backgrounds. But all of them had one thing in common. All of them had mobile phones (not just one but two!), a basic phone to make and receive voice calls, and one, a smart phone, to access the internet and, among other things, the blog.

“They said that without the internet they were nothing, with the internet they were many things. They have no certificates or qualifications, and haven’t progressed much in the traditional education system. But with the internet, and through access to the internet, through mainly mobile phones, they have made sure that they can create opportunities for themselves and for others for the future”.

Referring to the dynamic regional hub and especially ‘knowledge hub’ Dewapura said: “In our journey towards a ‘knowledge hub in the region’, these types of regional conferences are of great significance, and become important contributors towards realising such objectives. These activities, together with innovative National Development Programmes such as e-Sri Lanka, play an integral part in contributing to the socio-economic development of countries, such as ours.