Information technology plays a huge role in targeting education and treatment for HIV-positive people. Unfortunately, only a minority of those people has access to medical professionals that can provide case-specific advice. There may be an important intermediary, however, that can facilitate communications: the cell phone.

Cell phone usage in developing countries is growing quickly. 90% of South Africa, for example, has sufficient coverage, with a quickly growing subscriber base. Individuals or health professionals with cell phones can interact, via text messaging, with sophisticated databases that can guide treatment, prompt compliance, or provide surveillance capabilities. One "open source" effort in South Africa is described in Wired News. Other commercial efforts are also underway, such as those by Voxiva. It is easy to imagine a future when the most important communications technologies combatting AIDS are effected via the cell phone.