2014 World Press Photo of the Year (pic, obviously)

[Recursion]

"African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city, raising their phones in an attempt to capture an inexpensive signal from neighboring Somalia—a tenuous link to relatives abroad."

[JI7]

1. would that be the somaliland area ?

[Recursion]

2. Right across the border

Maybe 40 miles north of where Somaliland, to the extent it exists, starts.

[JI7]

3. i have heard how the cell phone business does really well

in somalia/somaliland . probably because there are so many people of somali origin outside the country who use them to communicate with relatives and others still inside.

but it's a common thing in many parts of the world. even in places with a lot of poverty you will have people with cell phones .

[Recursion]

4. I remember in Tanzania fractional minutes were used as currency

I've heard that happens in the rural parts of India but not so much here in the cities. (The minutes are denominated in paise, the notional "cent" of the rupee, but there aren't really paise coins in circulation much anymore, so it's a way to make sub-rupee transfers.)

[TheMightyFavog]

7. The infrastructure is a LOT cheaper.

Cell towers vs miles and miles of line.

[eppur_se_muova]

8. +about a million ... people don't understand ...

it is not necessary to recapitulate Old World/New World industrial history in the Third World; they can turn to the last page of the book and find the most cost-effective solution available NOW. For communications, this means satellite uplinks and cell towers, not miles of telephone lines or even fiber optics.

[xxqqqzme]

5. Amazing photos

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/14/world/gallery/2014-world-press-photo/

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. "Can you hear me now?"