The promise and challenges of using mobile phones for adult literacy training: Data from one Indian state

► Worldwide, 800 million adults are illiterate; a vast majority of them reside in India. ► Access to mobile phones in developing countries is growing; they are a technical capable and portable device. ► This study seeks to understand the potential of mobile phones to address adult illiteracy. ► The study is based on data from a 2010 survey of 409 illiterate men and women from semi-urban locations in one Indian state ► The results show a mixed promise for using mobile phones to alleviate adult illiteracy.