Telecom companies are rushing to boost
their internet services as the growth in mobile applications makes
communication gradually cheaper.
The increased use of internet-based
services, mostly social networking applications such as Facebook,
Twitter, WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Tango and MySpace, has attracted many
people.“Most of the communication that I have
to make is through the internet unless I really need to make an urgent
call. I think that nine out of 10 times that I am on my phone I am
either on twitter or Facebook or checking my e-mail. WhatsApp is one of
those applications that I cannot do without. I can’t remember the last
time I sent a text message,” said an internet user who declined to be
named.
The trick is in the price. While it
takes about Shs 130 ($0.05) to send one SMS, one is able to send far
more messages using WhatsApp for the same amount of money. Since
WhatsApp is internet-based, it works across all networks. And while it
takes about Shs 500 ($0.19) to make a call that lasts not more than
three minutes, it could easily take you more than 30 minutes on Skype.
The mobile phone applications also come
with more benefits. Attaching pictures, songs and videos is made easier
using these simple applications. Michael Niyitegeka, a former lecturer
at Makerere University’s college of Computing and Information Sciences,
who is now an IT consultant, believes telecom companies need to satisfy
this market.“Users are moving faster than the telecoms. The telecoms have not yet figured out a business model (for this market),” he said.
The growth of social networking sites was largely attributed to the feel it adds to the whole idea of communication.“There is a social attribute when one
goes on the social networking sites because this communication changes
the SMS messaging into a kind of a monologue,” he said.
The flipside of all this is that users
need to have a smart phone. However, while smart phones used to be
expensive, today they go for less than Shs 400,000. And some shops are
selling used smart phones at far cheaper prices. Some companies are
upgrading their data systems to tap into this growing market. Huawei
Technologies, the service provider for Airtel, Warid and MTN, has been
upgrading its network infrastructure to provide faster and cheaper
internet.
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