Mobile phones are increasingly important throughout the developing world. Photo: ICT4D.at (flickr)

Around the world, mobile phone technology is being touted as a life changing path from poverty to prosperity. Instant price data from global markets, mobile banking, credit card transfers on the go, mobile classrooms, remote-control irrigation and even apps that repel mosquitoes are just a few of the ways that mobile phone technology is leading the fight against poverty. But, for the world's rush of new mobile phone users, there's just one problem. Where to plug in and charge?

As mobile technology continues to advance and build pathways out of poverty for many in the developing world, answers to the charging issues are popping up in the developed world.

University of Wisconsin researchers are developing a new technology that could charge mobile phones by harvesting the kinetic energy that humans create when walking, said the BBC. In Kenya, the solution is bicycles. Inventor Pascal Katana and students from University of Nairobi have made this simple, popular mode of transportation into much more. The energy from cycling simultaneously charges mobile phones for a start-up cost of only 350 Kenyan shillings, or $4. And in a few years, a mobile phone or laptop user may be able to recharge by simply pointing the device at the sun, says NPR.

Ideas like these can be a big help in developing countries, where the ever-increasing abilities of mobile phones are in great demand. Nearly 60 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa use mobile phones, according to a 2010 study by Jenny C. Aker and Isaac M. Mbiti. A mobile phone acts as much more than a tool for communication — it strengthens the relationship between impoverished people and global markets and creates new business opportunities for local communities.

To gain access to these income boosting business opportunities, mobile phone technology will be a crucial tool moving forward. And both accessible and affordable ways to charge the devices will be instrumental in poverty alleviation. Check out the video below to see how these opportunities are coming about as the power is flipped on — or, in this case, cranked.