Free mobile internet access to Wikipedia in Africa

On my recent trip to Kampala, the vibrant capital of Uganda, I saw an advertisement by Vodacom promoting reduced roaming rates when travelling in South Africa, DRC, Mozambique, Lesotho, and the 5 East African Community member states. This is good news for regional business. Even more excited I am about a deal between Orange Uganda and Wikipedia allowing subscribers to access Wikipedia for free. "Any customer with an Orange SIM and mobile... more

Mobile phones will not save the poorest of the poor

A recent post on impact of mobile phones on the poorest of the poor refers to multiple studies on information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D), linking increased mobile phone adoption with positive trends in economic and human development indicators. Zimmerman and Meinrath (2012) showcase in their article new mobile phone-based money services like M-PESA to inform about an often ignored downside effect, as these mobile... more

Online behavior on Facebook in Mozambique

The Tsunami wave of Facebook arrived in Mozambique, contributing at local level to overcome the widespread phenomena people linking access to internet to access to a computer. Since last year the two mobile telecom providers – mCel and Vodacom – advertise their mobile 3G technology linked with the use of Facebook. It also relates to an earlier post Africa: Ranked #2 in mobile subscriptions about internet access in neighbouring South... more

Introducing consumer's voice on broad band access in Mozambique/Africa

Boosted by daily cash returns on its "pre-paid" business, TelCom operators turn also in Mozambique to bold marketing campaigns on broad band access. Classical marketing includes painting whatsoever small vendors hut in villages to giving away during 26 weeks a car each (0 km milage ... as they call it). How people in remote areas will benefit in real-life situations from 3G networks by classical marketing only, remains in question. In addition,... more

ICT4D indexes for Mozambique - Conclusion

For obvious reasons the Mozambican government maintains poverty reduction high on its agenda, acknowledging also the importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The policy focus is enhancing ICT infrastructure and access. Nevertheless, regarding ICT for Development (ICT4D) and its poverty reduction and social inclusion objectives, Brahima Sanou, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) pinpoints in the ITU... more

ICT4D indices - part 2: Networking Readiness Index (NRI) - Mozambique ranked #106

The recent Global Information Technology Report refers to the promise of ICT4D in terms of growing impact on poverty reduction to (a) mobile interactive communication and innovative mobile applications and services, (b) a shift from passive consumption of ICT toward one of active use and participation, (c) direct income generation and diversified employment opportunities, and (d) mobile money and the big potential from a small handset. However,... more

Mobile internet use in LDCs: Not minutes, but megabytes!

The majority of people in Mozambique use mobile phones on pre-paid tariffs and thus somehow familiar with the costs per minute for a call. However, to benefit from the use of mobile internet one needs to understand what it means to pay per MB (megabyte) for "uploads" and "downloads" ... something I would subsume under "digital literacy" and that cannot be expected to easily be known and understood throughout the social layers of society. In... more