A while ago I reported on a story filed on the popular RocketBoom about how two Polio victims in Kenya found a means for a life income using mobile phones (read here). Well Ruud Elmendorp has done it again making yet another short report on the impact that the mobile phone has had on the developing nation of Kenya and its citizens. This story is less humanitarian and more logistical but VERRY interesting nonetheless.
Highlights include how the mobile phone has helped shop keepers, there are over 7 million mobile subscribers in Kenya.
Mobile phones first become popular in Kenya in the year 2000 when two carriers where launched. The biggest, Safaricom, is halfed owned by the Kenya government and Vodafone. The network now reaches one fifth of Kenya’s 32 million population.
These figures are staggering when you consider that most Kenyans live on less than 3 dollars a day.
According to Michael Joseph (CEO of Kenya carrier Safaricom) downtown Nairobi has the highest square foot mobile traffic than anywhere in the world because that is what they use as their prime means of communication.” He claims that the huge growth in mobile phone use simply the result of a lack of an alternative. “They absolutely have to have it because there was nothing else.”
The cell phone carriers have made also peaked growth by making calls very cheap. A majority of the plans are prepaid and airtime come in small amounts such as 3 dollar and even 75 cent phone cards.
Subscribers in Kenya are not in the same profile as those in Europe. Calls are very short (20-40 second average). They make 2-3 calls a day.
Phone markets have become very popular with phones ranging from 35 dollars to 350 dollars.
Once again this shows the raw power that cell phones have even when they are stripped down to their basic functionality. They are a new technology with a different medium.
There is no mention of SMS in the report but I am sure that, as a cheaper alternative, their is heavy usage there.
While the calls in Kenya may be short and infrequent they sure can have a large impact.
Check out the video for yourself here.
Related:
http://www.mopocket.com/2006/10/coltan_and_your_mobile_a_mopoc.php
Do not forget about the Mobile Web In The Developing World Workshop.
Technorati Tags: africa, kenya, rocketboom, safaricom, vodafone
