The rise of mobile communication has been remarkable. This is especially the case in  developing countries. This trend serves as the background to the emerging academic field of Mobile Communication for Development (M4D) to which we devote this paper. While access is still an important obstacle, there is no doubt that the proliferation of mobile telephony in developing countries has opened up a range of possibilities and new avenues for individuals, governments, aid agencies and NGOs. However being an emerging academic field there is need for greater conceptual and methodological rigour in the conduct of research as well as theoretical and methodological development. This paper will give a background of the field, an overview of research being carried out and challenges ahead. The aim of presenting this paper is to explore the possibility of establishing M4D as a research priority for Southern African - Nordic cooperation.