INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology
African telcos should leverage
consumers’ increasing demand
for mobile data
Gavin Holme, Country Manager, Africa, Wipro Limited
Telcos must position
themselves more
effectively, adapting
and leveraging
the growing trend
of mobility by
offering products
that encourage or
enable innovation,
according to Wipro’s
Country Manager
and Business
Development
Executive.
www.intelligentcio.com
A
frica is witnessing rapid growth
in the telecommunications
sector, and the use of mobile
phones is at the forefront of this
surge. While it was initially voice
communication that drove the interest
in mobile telephony, thanks to the
increased accessibility of smartphones,
the growing use of applications and
consumption of content is seeing a
shift to data being the driver of the
telco services surge. This shift in user
needs and demands is driving the
success of over the top (OTT) service
providers in Africa. Unless traditional
telcos start evolving their business
models and service offerings to
capitalise on this shifting customer
expectations and changing market
demands, it will become increasingly
difficult for them to remain profitable,
competitive and relevant.
The surge in demand for smartphones
is an expected progression following
the vast number of innovative, lifestyle-
enhancing applications developed
specifically for the African market.
Mobile money in particular has gained
significant traction in East Africa due to
tangible social benefits. For example,
an Oxford University study shows that
the implementation of mobile money
to effect payment has significantly
improved service provisioning of water in
Kenya. This has led to increased revenue
collection as families were able to pay
for water in micropayments without
travelling long distances each time to do
so, and subsequently there was also a
decline in service disconnections thanks
to fewer missed payments.
In fact, mobile trade and payment
applications have been so successful
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