HARARE - The use of the cell phones in the country is growing at a rapid pace including in the remotest parts of rural areas. (Pictured: Use of cell phones growing)
The cell phone is no longer a symbol of wealth but has become a tool to do business. Millions of the people in the country who migrated to the Diaspora use mostly cell phones to text messages or talk to their loved loved ones, friends and relatives back home. According to the Minister of Finance Tendai Biti, six million people in the country now use cell phones, representing about half of the country’s population.
Econet is the largest mobile service provider in the country. It has introduced its consumers to the 3G technology, even in some remotest parts of the country, to enable its customers to surf the Internet from their mobile phones. “My son went to London in 2000 and I have not met him since. However, my cell phone keeps me in touch with him and if there is a problem here I can phone or text him a message. When he sends me money he communicates with me using the cell phone. The cell phone has brought me closer to my beloved son,” said a Harare woman.
“I support Zanu (PF) and I use the cell phone as a means to organise meetings and strategise, said Robert Munetsi from Chitungwiza. “I use the phone to communicate with my parents who are in Chikomba. In times of emergency they can always phone or text me a message and I can help them,”said Tananswa Chimanga. Cell phones are not used primarily for communication but rather as radios or torches.
“We do not have network reception at our home in Rusape unless if one climbs the mountain, so I use my phone as a torch or a radio. I only get to use it for communication when I am in town,” said Farai Dumbura from Rusape. In some African countries the cell phone is actively used to monitor the elections. In Nigeria an SMS political monitoring system was introduced during the 2007 elections. The result was said to be astonishing.
The monitoring system served to ensure that election observers and monitors had access to remote areas. The Network of Mobile Election Monitors (NMEM) of Nigeria said, “Most election observers especially in Africa are very conspicuous with their UN or EU branded 4-wheel drive jeeps, ‘branded’ t-shirts with ‘observers’ boldly printed on it and large ID tags around their necks.
This is often necessary for security reasons which allow them to move around freely on Election Day where movement is often restricted. This, however, reduces their effectiveness as people are prone to act properly when they know they are being watched, especially by foreigners. This is why we decided to use ordinary citizens of Nigeria, all voters themselves to report back to our SMS hub on what really happened on Election Day from their own polling stations.
The use of ordinary Nigerians to observe and report on the election, we believe, encourages participation by people that would be apathetic as well as provide timely, accurate and impartial information on the conduct of the elections. It is ultimately the same ordinary citizens who validate the credibility and legitimacy of the eventual electoral outcome. Our monitoring is peculiar because people knew that if they try to rig the election there could be someone behind them that may send a text message reporting the incident.”
Media Consultant Shepherd Mutamba said: “The use of cell phones is going to increase the flow of information. People in remote parts of the country will be able to communicate with reporters who are mostly based in urban centres.” While a sim card used to cost as much as US$100 since last year it now costs only a dollar.
Newspapers in the country now provide cell numbers of their publications and they usually get an amazing feedback from people in different parts of the country who want their constituencies to be covered. Many people in the rural areas are now using the phones to communicate to the media about violence and even supply names of people orchestrating violence.
Handsets are now affordable as the market is over flooded mainly with cheap imitations from the East. Most people do not mind about the quality of their handsets as long as it delivers the purpose of communicating. However consumers claim that there are being short charged by network providers through dropped calls. Even though all the three major players which include Telecel and Netone, have introduced per second billing people still feel the tariffs are too high. The 3G introduced by Econet is still out of reach for many people. Until other service providers have the technology the cost will remain high.
Post published in: Opinions