the mobile phone ‘revolution’ in africa
Post on 22-Feb-2016
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THE MOBILE PHONE ‘REVOLUTION’ INAFRICA
350 million mobile phone subscribers
Use• transfer money• monitor elections• deliver public health messages
Informal economy • people selling airtime• charging and fixing mobiles• renting them out
Rapid Growth
• based on pre-pay phone cards
• voice• low-end phones
Rapid Adoption
• affordable• portable• multi-functional• ease of use
“the single most transformative technology for development”
Benefits of mobile phones
• incremental (improving the speed and efficiency of what people already do)
• transformational (offering something new)
• related to production (selling mobiles and related services)
pioneering new forms of mobile usage:M-Pesa
Transforming health sector
• collect health data
• support diagnosis and treatment
• disseminate health education in poor settings
Generates benefits within the formal and informal sectors
Limits of mobile telephones & missed opportunities• many people
marginalized/excluded from benefits
• cost and usability problems restrict many from benefiting from the full functionality of mobiles
• government restrictions and state control have also been shown to hinder the growth of the mobile phone sector
• used to devastating effect as a ‘weapon of war’ to circulate destabilizing rumors and hate messages
Conclusion
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