Continuing from the last time, I will continue to report on the mobile phone system and market in Kenya.
Don't worry, you only need what you use! Simple prepaid formula
Photo credit: whiteafrican via VisualHunt.com / CC BY
As mentioned above, mobile phone communication charges in Kenya are prepaid. You won't be bothered by mysterious charges that you can't understand at all, and you won't be automatically withdrawn from your bank every month. You buy a card from a small street vendor called a "kiosk" in town. Just charge the amount into your phone. Once it's used up, that's it, no extra charge.
It's also very easy to do. Scrape off the scratch on the back of the card to reveal the number. When you type it into your mobile phone, the money will enter your mobile phone and you will be able to make calls and use the Internet. The minimum purchase unit is from 5 ksh (about 7 yen)! It may seem like a small amount, but even with this, you can talk for about 1-2 minutes. Also, if you send a short message (SMS) using a phone number, you can exchange about 5 messages.
You have to be careful when someone asks you to lend them your cell phone!
Photo credit: InternewsEurope via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND
A little bit of information here. If the locals say, "Let me borrow your cell phone for a moment" or "Show me your cell phone!" The money you have charged may be withdrawn without you even realizing it!
In Kenya, you can easily send money that has been charged with just a phone number. What a convenient system! Occasionally, if the kiosk didn't have any charge cards in stock, I would often have to pay to transfer the money from the clerk's mobile phone. Let's be careful enough to know that there is such a mechanism, not if you are impressed with the amazing mechanism!
Those Maasai! Kenya's mobile phone market boasts an astonishing penetration rate.
Photo credit: luigig via VisualHunt.com / CC BY
Now, as I have told you, mobile phones are one of the things that has exploded in Kenya in the last few years. This phenomenon is happening not only in Kenya, of course, but all over Africa.
Kenya's population is said to be about 40 million, but in 2000, 15 years ago, about 17,000 people signed up with Safaricom, the largest mobile telecommunications company. However, in 2010, less than a decade later, that number had grown to 12 million. Currently, Kenya's mobile penetration rate has reached 70%, and it is said that the number of SIM cards has already exceeded 100% of the population. In addition, the population coverage has reached 95% despite the vast land area, which is 1.5 times that of Japan. It is of course connected to rural villages, and the Maasai tribe also uses it when grazing in the savannah.
In recent years, smartphones have become increasingly popular among young people, with more than 100,000 units shipped each month. Inexpensive smartphones from NOKIA, Huawei, and Samsung, which are familiar in Japan, are gaining popularity. Also, mobile technology for sending and saving money with a phone number has already penetrated Kenyans. Kenya is a highly mobile literate country, and the mobile market is expected to grow even more in the future.
Lastly
Africa is now 19 ◯◯ years old in Japan! It is often said, but the standard of living is not changing in the same way. People who don't have TVs have smartphones, and the Internet is reaching places where there is no electricity. The mobile sector in Africa is what I consider to be the hottest sector in Africa. We will continue to deliver interesting information in the future.
