Can mobile phone data be used for official statistics? Asia and the Pacific say yes.

This paper presents outcomes from a Regional Workshop on the Use of Mobile Phone Data for Official Statistics, hosted by BPS Indonesia in conjunction with UN ESCAP, UN DESA, Pulse Lab Jakarta and the UN Global Working Group on Big Data for Official Statistics. The workshop brought together ten countries for hands on, practical experience in using mobile phone data for official statistics. Whilst mobile phone data use for official statistics is in its infancy in Asia and the Pacific, participants identified ten reasons why they were already using or interested in using mobile phone data as part of their official statistics business, and these are described in the paper. 

1. Much more detailed statistics, through sub-national estimates and granularity 
2. Sampling frame validation 
3. Validating survey statistics 
4. Improving accuracy 
5. Reducing cost 
6. Improving timeliness 
7. Reduce respondent burden 
8. To meet unmet demand 
9. To fill data gaps with the SDG indicators 
10. Building new business models