[kictanet] Matatu to the Masai via Mobile

[alice]

>From Matatu to the Masai via Mobile 
by Paul Mason 
As part of his journey through Kenya using a map of the country's mobile phone networks as his guide, BBC Newsnight correspondent Paul Mason here traces trends in the use of this ICT to foster economic and social development. Mason explains that today 1 in 3 adults carry a cellphone in Kenya; in the past 5 years the number of mobiles in Kenya has grown from 1 million to 6.5 million. In contrast, the number of landlines remains at about 300,000, mostly in government offices. "About 80% of Kenyans are covered by mobile networks and while it would be easy to find a place off the network, finding people there would be difficult." One new specific development Mason describes is the ability to transfer funds via one's cell phone.
http://www.comminit.com/trends/ctrends2007/trends-340.html