How Arm and its ecosystem are improving lives with affordable and accessible devices.
Mobile connectivity continues to accelerate digital inclusion: 3.8 billion people worldwide now use mobile internet. But 3.4 billion more live in areas with network coverage – yet still have no access to digital services. In fact, the usage gap is now six times larger than the coverage gap.
While it's not the only obstacle, affordability of handsets and data remains a key barrier to mobile internet adoption3.
Arm powers the world’s smartphones, from high-performance to ultra-low-cost. This transformative technology has helped put the smartphone at the center of people’s digital lives, making them more productive, more creative and more connected.
Creating an end-to-end, ultra-low-cost mobile solution that will help bring millions more people online will take cooperation across our industry, from silicon vendors and foundries to OEMs and distributors – and even governments and NGOs.
Solving the affordability conundrum is not just philanthropy. Converting just 20 percent of the global feature phone market to ultra-low-cost smartphones by 2026 could help connect an additional 350 million people, creating value for both the digital society and the ecosystem that supplies it.
3 GSMA: The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2021
Amplio’s Talking Book is a rugged audio device designed for information sharing in remote, off-grid, low-literacy environments.
Typically used by governments and development organizations, it gives access to information on topics such as sustainable agriculture, maternal health, child protection, financial literacy, hygiene and sanitation, and malaria prevention. Users with low- or zero-literacy skills can play messages on demand and record their feedback. A built-in speaker allows families and groups to listen and learn together.
Because Amplio's technology collects usage data and user feedback, organizations can monitor Talking Books in the field, identify issues and trends, and continually update and improve their content for greater success.
Powered by Arm Cortex technology, the unit uses mains power or batteries to deliver local-language content targeting knowledge, attitudes and practices. No internet connectivity is required.
Amplio's inclusive digital technology enables local and international organizations to bridge the digital divide in the world's hardest-to-reach communities.
Arm has worked with Amplio since 2011.
Around 1 billion1 people in the world have no formal proof of identity, denying them access to essential services such as education, finance, and healthcare.
Typically, women and children are most affected: 99 per cent of maternal deaths occur in developing countries, in low-resource settings, yet most could have been prevented with a consistent program of care. But with no access to centralized systems, consistent care can be a rare luxury. Simprints uses an inclusive method of identification to safely create a unique ID for each individual, allowing health workers in the field to identify patients accurately, and quickly create or access their record of care. The biometric data is securely collected using the health worker’s Android smartphone, while timestamps and GPS coordinates record the time and location of treatment. Where internet connectivity is poor or non-existent, offline mode can be used and new patient data is uploaded when connectivity is restored.
Vitally, Simprints’ solution focuses on the ethical and inclusive use of digital ID, ensuring it works for diverse populations with solid privacy protocols and patient protection at its core. The system is compatible with the digital health tools used by healthcare workers, governments, and global development practitioners around the world, and can be rapidly deployed and scaled on low-cost Android devices.
1 https://id4d.worldbank.org/global-dataset
A strategic partnership between Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Simprints, and Arm aims to address the bottlenecks in equitable vaccine distribution by creating reliable digital healthcare records – even in the absence of formal identification. Arm has supported Simprints since its inception in 2012.
Enabling Real-Time Healthcare in Low-Resource Settings
Using paper-based medical records is slow, inefficient – and, since healthcare workers are required to carry them to their destination – heavy. While workers in city facilities can swap paper ledgers for lightweight tablets, those on the road face a challenging working environment that creates numerous obstacles to adoption. The ability to charge a device isn’t a given. Many remote locations have an unreliable electrical supply. High ambient temperatures significantly reduce battery life and can cause devices to slow down to prevent overheating. Dust can block charge ports or cause devices to overheat. Few commercially available devices can withstand the conditions – and may be too costly if they can. Arm worked with Be He@lthy, Be Mobile – a joint initiative between the World Health Organisation and the International Telecommunication Union – to collaborate on the design and spec of a tablet that would do just that. The result is an affordable Arm-based tablet prototype with a battery life of three to four days, a front and back camera with flash for simple diagnostics and rugged casing to withstand heat, water and dust – providing a permanent, centralized record of care, even in remote, low-resource settings.
The prototype tablet was designed primarily for the healthcare sector but has potential for deployment in other sectors such as agriculture, education, field conservation and disaster relief.
