Overview of key trends in mobile in Africa Source: Mobile Trends 2020 Africa, a collaborative outlook

1. “Africa is becoming one of the most interesting continents of economic
growth this decade. Currently petroleum and other raw materials are still the
main drivers but mobile technology is going to play a key role in the
development.” -Rudy De Waele
A major challenge for Africa as a whole are their government’s accountability and
corruption. Through the development of mobile technology funds can be more
effectively diverted to the development of infrastructure, fighting poverty, developing
services and creating access to education for all
Africa

2. Mobile in Africa
The mobile revolution will change the way South Africa’s interact amongst
themselves and the rest of the world.
Africa is the most rapidly urbanizing continent in the world
Although Africa as a whole will experience a strong decade of economic
development, the continent will also drift apart. Countries like Congo, Guinea and
Somalia will remain the biggest global development challenge by the end of the next
decade.

3. PREDICTIONS FOR 2020

4. Currently the majority of applications are driven in Africa and developing countries
by big international operators. Through widespread and cheap communications,
small businesses have a chance to flourish. The future is applications from local
entrepreneurs.
Mobile Apps from Local Entrepreneurs

5. Breaking the Language Barrier
There are over 2100 spoken languages in Africa. As a result there are language
barriers which makes communication with Africans in other countries a challenge.
The development of voice-based web access makes services available to illiterate
people and gives them access to information
Developments in translation and text to speech technology will empower people to
more easily communicate across languages therefore breaking down cultural
barriers and increasing cross continental trade.

6. Breaking Down the Barriers of Isolation
“Democracy facilitated by generalized access to information on mobiles.
Deals between local carriers and platforms allowing free data connection like
0.facebook will help break isolation of small villages and spread information
across the most remote territories.” -Liva Judic
As mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular in Africa and due to
technological advances in mobile devices, this allows for isolated villages in
Africa to have access to information and connects them with the world around
them.

7. Staying Connected
“Infrastructure investments will increase the availability of
access; thereby driving mobile web adoption, new cloud
computing services, and in turn, demand for media and
advertising.” -Nicholas Heller
Therefore it is said that everything and everyone will be connected via the mobile
phone network. Consumers will only be able to purchase advanced electronic
devices that communicate with other devices and that provide information.

8. Mobile Health
“mHealth- with mobile technology becoming the norm, there's definitely going
to be a greater focus on how it can be effectively be used to address health
challenges in Africa.” -John Wesonga
Mobile Health is the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile
devices. mHealth gives people access to health related information in remote areas
of Africa.
Healthcare practitioners will be able to send pictures of visual symptoms to the
nearest bigger center for support when cases are too complicated to be treated
locally. Geolocation information will enable to pinpoint available doctors in closest
area.

9. Mobile Learning
mLearning allows people to use their mobile devices to improve their education
anywhere and at anytime.
Mobile devices are to become mandatory with education & learning pre-loaded tools and
applications instead of textbooks. The unique nature of Mobile Gaming will soon give
way to enabling the development of games dedicated to educate at lower costs..
Interaction between distant users will foster socialization and
open up small villages.

10. Mobile Commerce
“MCommerce. In the next few years mCommerce will be everything in
Africa. The fact that people trust the phones to be their banks means that
soon they will start accepting the same phone to be the dominant mode of
payment for the goods and services.” –Kennedy Kachwanya
New areas of economic activity will develop as a result of financial
transactions becoming a primary source of commerce which will create a
new currency (Mobile Money).

11. Mobile Money
“Banking will purely on mobile phones and Mobile phones to
replace ATMs. The success of MPESA in Kenya is just the
beginning. I see a future where banking halls will be deserted
and ATMs obsolete.” -Kennedy Kachwanya
Mobile Money refers to any money transfer performed from or via a mobile
device. This trend is said to take Africa by storm due to the increased
investments in mobile infrastructure even though the potential is currently
largely unexploited.

12. Mobile Business
“M-business – mobile will become deeply embedded in business, personal
and government processes to the point that paper forms and manual
processes go by the wayside and mobile money becomes the dominant form
of financial exchange.”
-Eric Cantor
Mobile Business refers to business developments that focus on attracting new
customers in the Mobile Web markets. This is an up and coming trend for Africa
due to the increased popularity of mobile devices.

13. eGovernment
“eGovernment- mobiles become the key methods of delivery of eGov services. I
foresee a situation where the "my mobile is my passport to eGov services" a
seamless integration of government services+mobile money transfer e.g. Let me
pay for my driving license using MPESA, sign for it using my touch pad phone and
have it electronically sent to my mobile phone.” -John Wesonga
eGovernment is a government that is online/connected and
communicates using digital interaction with its citizens. Governments and
mobile technology will soon integrate to create a network of service
offerings, making government’s and citizen’s lives easier.

14. Data
“The cost of data on cellular networks will keep dropping, reaching the price of an
everyday commodity. This will be driven by a combination of extreme price
sensitivity and strong competition amongst operators and service providers.” -
“The Knowledge Phone: Internal storage capacity on mobile devices will be infinite,
allowing the storage of vasts amounts of data. "The World Wide Web on a stick"
(well, a phone).” -Ken Banks
Due to data becoming a major area of mobile usage in Africa, especially in Kenya where more and
more Internet users get online via the mobile web instead of the PC web. This trend will see a whole
new market for mobile content and services across the board as 2G and 3G become widely available
for the masses.

15. Data Vs. Corruption
African leaders are said to go to great lengths to stem the tide of information availability
and transparency which they see as being a threat, leading to showdowns pitting the
benefits of the open, transparent, enabling mobile economy against the waning ability of
oligopolic control.

16. Energy
People living in rural areas may not have money for generators and electricity. This will
allow operators to install renewable energy sources in rural areas. People will be able to
stay connected wirelessly in these rural areas.
“Energy storage will become more efficient and affordable allowing
for greater Power Portability and running larger apps.” –Anthony K.
Ng'eno

17. PREDICATIONS FOR MOBILE GROWTH

18. “Cheap Chinese smartphones will flood the market. Data access will grow
rapidly, as will smartphone adoption.”
“Afroogle – the first wave of companies born, bred and built in the sub-
Saharan Africa context will emerge with innovative technology solutions
to African problems, doing it more efficiently than foreign competitors.”
“An African “Don’t Use Your Mobile Day” to remind us all of the value of real
time, personal connection”

19. “Entertainment, sports and leisure to finally seizing the lead from health,
education and agriculture as the “trend-makers” in the African mobile
innovation space ”
“Access to communication and information will be officially classified as a
"human right”

20. CONCLUSION- THE MOBILE WEB

21. The Mobile Web is predicted to be the future, both consumers and
entrepreneurs seek decreased friction, which can only be provided by the
open web.
The mobile web is the future. While app stores and device- dependent
services will continue to proliferate in the next couple of years, both
consumers and entrepreneurs will seek a way around walled
gardens/proprietary systems. Such an aspiration can only be satisfied by
the open source systems/OS. In the future both consumers and
entrepreneurs seek decreased friction, which can only be provided by the
open web.

22. Everything and everyone will be connected via the mobile phone network. In 10
years it will be impossible to buy an advanced electronic device that doesn’t
communicate with other devices, keeping devices and people in synch with one
another and providing information with which people can improve their lives.
The Mobile Web is predicted to be the future, both consumers and
entrepreneurs seek decreased friction, which can only be provided by the
open web.