Working with a U.N.-affiliated initiative called Business Call to Action (BCtA), Movirtu will offer the numbers, which it calls mobile identities, through commercial carriers in developing countries in Africa and South Asia. People in those countries who typically borrow phones from others will be able to log into the carrier's network and use their own prepaid minutes and bits of data.

The service is called Cloud Phone, though it operates within a carrier's own infrastructure rather than on the Internet as a classic cloud service would. Having a personal mobile identity can save users money in two ways, according to Ramona Liberoff, executive vice president of marketing, strategy and planning at Movirtu. First, they can use mobile services without buying a phone, which is a luxury even at US$15 or $20 for people making $1 or $2 per day.

To read the full story please go to: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/237351/startup_aims_to_get_the_ poor_online_with_phone_numbers.html

This article was written by Stephen Lawson for the IDG News. It has been picked up by many publications:

Computer World: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218894/Startup_Aims_to_Get_the_Poor _Online_with_Phone_Numbers

Network World: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/080411-startup-aims-to-get-the.html

Tech World: http://www.techworld.com.au/article/396167/startup_aims_get_poor_online_phone_numbers/

ARN net: http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/396167/startup_aims_get_poor_online_phone_numbers/

CIO: http://www.cio.com/article/687235/Startup_Aims_to_Get_the_Poor_Online_with_Phone_Numbers

IT News: http://www.itnews.com/mobile/35458/startup-aims-get-poor-online-phone-numbers