Barry Rosen connects with family and friends while heading TC's Afghan Education Project as the cellular phone industry booms in the mostly low-tech country.  "It seems like everybody has a mobile phone," said Rosen. "It's an amazing situation. It's farmers in villages [and] merchants. They look like they're out of the 11th century. And all of a sudden, you see them flip open their phones."

Afghanistan's two primary mobile service providers are Roshan and Afghan Wireless, both of which are owned in-part by U.S. companies.  Rosen said many wireless users in Afghanistan, including himself, have  phone plans with each of the companies and decide which to use depending on where they are when placing calls.  "It's impossible to get a home (landline) phone in Afghanistan, and they're unreliable anyway," Rosen said. "A mobile phone is really indispensable." 

The article, entitled "Low-Tech Afghanistan A Wireless Hotbed," appeared in the March 17 edition of Investor's Business Daily.

Published Thursday, Mar. 17, 2005