Mobile Phones in Rural Africa Insights from A Village in Western Kenya

Cellular & Wireless, Kenya, c

Cellphone landscapes 2007

Everyday technologies in a village 2007 Amaranth and other local plants Hand hoes, Pre WWII

~Technology change ~around HIV/AIDS ~Changing livelihoods

What and Where? “Hybrid Technologies” Mobile Phones, Kitchen Gardens & HIV/AIDS Case study of social and technological change in a village

Village Case Study Household survey (census), in-depth interviews with owners, group discussions Population of 5100 in 15 square kilometers (~890 households)

Who owns phones?

Findings (I) Village phone ownership 3/2007 Households with >=1 MP15% “Ever used” MP38% Year first phone acquired 1999 Owner is male head78% Has high school educ or more 59% Male head is “working away” 21%

Brand New Moto F3 handset What and how used, 2007 Ultra-low-cost handsets (ULCH) “<$30” Prepaid Safaricom, Celtel/Zain “Sharing” of phones = share and swap SIM card, battery, handset “Sambaza” (send) airtime No games, internet, , alarms

Scratch card tally Cheap prepaid scratch cards (Ksh 20 = 30 cents) Spending (prepaid only): <$1 to $100/mo Airtime use, all owners: $1,200/mo 6% of owners account for 20% of airtime spending

Phone uses Voice > SMS “Greetings” = Personal, family, and community – vs. “business” multi-residence family Existing networks –vs. new

Rural User #1. Farmer/Community Health Worker/ “Long-Distance Housewife” “R” got a phone in 2003 (used Nokia 3310). Manages a small farm, raises 6 children (& grandchildren). Husband lives in Mombasa, sends airtime HIV+, active volunteer, “Death & disease”, “knowing about people” Text messaging: amazing, you just “write a message!” Expensive, but you “Can’t starve to communicate!”

Rural User #2: Grower/Trader “E” (24) eldest son, still living at home, uses phone for trading Voice better than texting: you talk “Ear to Ear” Phone must be shared: “it is not mine alone”, but changing SIM cards is frustrating! (In July 2008: his old line now “out of service”)

Findings (II) Significance to rural lives freedom, privilege, and connections “Without phone, I was in total darkness!” Convenient, replaces costly transport and telecom: foot, bus, landline… “People of Posta have no market!” Save money, time and uncertainty Communication (vs. information)

Problems for residents “Lack of cash” #1 barrier Access, quality, poor consumer support Demands of sharing

“There was a time I wanted to call a friend… it just made a funny sound …there was etaa ye lichumuni (a lantern lamp) and writings saying “slow (low) battery”. I was told that it meant that kumulilo kwa welemo (the charge was finished)...” (W, age 60+) Most common

Charging those batteries Cash, travel time & uncertainty Batteries ruined through generic chargers Locals with access to an electrical outlet: only 18% (teachers, etc.)

Solar ? Maybe! R- testing Ksh 5000 ($70) portable charger. Repair? Ksh 650

Phone update 2008* Follow-up difficult Only 44% (35/84) reached by original phone number 24% “line out of service” 31% temporarily out (call diverted, out of signal, switched off) *Phone survey over 5 consecutive days (Fri-Tues) in July 08

Findings (4) Poorest do not own or use mobiles: Expensive, no electricity SMS not that popular –technical, social reasons Privacy, targeted messages vs. sharing, turnover of “lines”

impacts on ~national GDP, ~fish trade, ~farming, ~small business, ~$ transactions Contrast (1) mobile phones in developing countries Source: Economist

Contrast (2) Pilot applications for health & development in SSA Monitoring (emergencies, by NGOs) Health information systems Medical diagnoses Village phone for income generation Jobs through SMS Exam grades (secondary education) Interactive educational TV (Makutano Junction)

What next?

Mobile phones/ICT4D Kiwanja.net (mobiles 4D) Tacticaltech.org JanChipchase.com Nokia Innovation Challenge GSMA (gsmworld.com)