The Impact Investing Case for Telecom Companies

"We are so used to being almost permanently online that we don't really appreciate what we have and do not really know what to do when we're not," Joni Mitchell wrote in her 1970s song "Big Yellow Taxi."

Well, telecom companies "provided the services and products that we have gotten to regard as a basic need: connection," writesjoerd Rozing in an article for the Guardian.

And it's telecom companies that provide that basic service.

In fact, Rozing writes, telecom companies "primarily contribute to the societal transition by facilitating access to key products, services, and markets that broaden opportunities for marginalised groups and individuals to participate in cultural, political, and social spaces."

Examples include providing access to broadband Internet, mobile phones, TV, and so on, as well as "material improvement in their personal financial situation, which enhances their possibilities to participate, when people upgrade from a 3G phone to a very affordable 4G smartphone, as research from Safaricom shows."

In fact, telecom companies "represent one of the least diverse sectors to work in" in emerging markets, but in developed markets, "they are therefore more stable and predictable, as they generate most of their revenues from subscriptions."

They also tend to offer an attractive dividend

Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Snohomish County Awards Innovation Assistance Grants to 50 Local Small Businesses

"Our small, locally owned businesses are the backbone of our communities.... These assistance programs will help ensure our small business continue to thrive and keep our communities...more

Why Healthcare Organizations Are Launching Innovation Centers

A hospital in San Diego is using artificial intelligence to help doctors more quickly identify patients at risk of sepsis, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Dr. Christopher Longhurst,...more

Developer Revealed to Turn Old Medical School into Health Tech Innovation Hub

The Old Medical School in Leeds, England, was once one of the country's first provincial medical schools. Now, it's being turned into a "hub for health-tech innovation," per a press release from...more

City Club of Chicago: Water Innovation €“ Turning Waste into Health and Wealth

The Great Lakes region is home to one-fifth of the world's fresh water, but that could soon change. The National Science Foundation has announced a $160 million, 10-year investment in a coalition...more

$100 Million for Equity: Macarthur Foundation'S New Big Bet and Mandate
Foundation: MacArthur Foundation

This year's MacArthur Foundation 100&Change grant competition has a new requirement: applicants must include diversity, equity, and inclusion in their proposals, the Chicago Tribune...more

$100 Million for Equity: Macarthur Foundation'S New Big Bet and Mandate
Foundation: MacArthur Foundation

This year's MacArthur Foundation 100&Change grant competition has a new requirement: applicants must include diversity, equity, and inclusion in their proposals, the Chicago Tribune...more

Philanthropy Lab Awards $90K to 13 Atlanta Nonprofits

"Experiential learning is the best way to get at the nuance and complexity of fields like philanthropy or business," Brian Goebel, managing director of Emory University's Business & Society...more

Name Dropping

When Balazs Bognar moved to Tokyo from Urbana, Ill., at age 17, he had no idea he'd end up living there for the rest of his life. "He would take me and my mom and my brothers to cities around the...more

Exclusive: Az Factory Is Morphing Into the Az Academy

Alber Elbaz's fashion brand, AZ Factory, is shutting down, but not in a bad way. Instead, it's launching a new educational program called AZ Academy: Business for Designers, reports Women's Wear...more

Fostering Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Innovation in California'S Central Valley
Foundation: Central Valley Community Foundation

California's Central Valley is home to 25% of the US' fruits and nuts, and the state's agriculture-heavy San Joaquin Valley alone accounts for 19% of revenue and 14% of gross domestic product, per a...more


The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $50 million to support emergency efforts to contain the threat caused by Ebola in West Africa.



Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs


Cooperative Science and Education Program | Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs Appropriation Overseas Grants | Navigation Projects | St. Mary Storage Unit Facilities Rehabilitation Project | Safe Kids Worldwide | Senior Community Service Employment Program | Lake Tahoe Erosion Control Grant Program | Veterans State Domiciliary Care | | Site Style by YAML | Grants.gov | Grants | Grants News | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2024 Copyright Michael Saunders