I wonder how much an SMS message costs an indian farmer (it also requires an extra cell phone), it might very well be a substantial part of the cost of operatio

I wonder how much an SMS message costs an indian farmer (it also requires an extra cell phone), it might very well be a substantial part of the cost of operation. In the end it's a convenience thing (you don't have to walk) which is worth some $ or it would have to save money or create a better yield. Indian mobile networks are fairly well connected. And sending local SMS messages are, for all practical purposes, free. Cell phones can be had for US$30. Possibly less. If you want to build technology-related services that are accessible to the largest possible part of the Indian population, using SMS as a protocol is probably the right way to go. (Edit: But from what I understood, this device involves phoning a number and using a keypad to issue commands. )