Great thought provoking post Nathan. The point about assuming literacy is an important one and the use of voice would certainly help in regard to the mechanisms in which non literate individuals cope with using technology. His fits in to some of the thoughts I have seen from Jan Jipchase in this area. I think there is often a tendency to adopt a very western view with regards mobile usage and we forget most of the new users are not coming from this region. Keep up the great work

Thanks Paul... Didn't want to come across too strong with the 'crippled phone' statement - it just irks me that there is such blatant contradiction between these latest PR campaigns about how mobile phones are bringing the internet to the 'bottom of the pyramid' and the actual phones being marketed and sold here in Africa. However, perhaps a more thought provoking question is whether or not the internet currently adds much value to people in the developing world. Most of the internet services that we take for granted in the West simply aren't available in most parts of the world. I live in a 200,000-person region in Kenya - and I can't find out what the weather is there right now online (or forecasts for that matter). Want to know about the local restaurants or what's playing at the cinema? Forget about it. There is virtually no online content. And with no local content, does the web have much value at all? Maybe a flashlight is a more useful feature than GPRS for phones in the developing world?

... although it takes users to develop user-generated content. A bit of a catch-22...

This post points out very important facts about the potential of SMS-based and audio-based internet experience. However, in my opinion the post is assuming personal rather than community-based connectivity. I live in Spain. In my country there are about 105 GSM subscribers every 100 people. Perhaps only Finland has more mobile subscribers. Most mobile phones aren't data enabled, but people usually access the Internet in the office or at home. Connectivity is personal. Most of us have individual access to mobile voice, SMS and the Internet, although we usually use two different machines: mobile and computer. In my opinion personal connectivity is not always feasible in poor countries. Community-based connectivity is an alternative. I work as a volunteer for a Spanish NGO called "Ingeniería Sin Fronteras" (Engineering Without Borders). We have worked with some associations in Benin in order to build community-bases points of access to the Internet. The project resulted in the creation of BorgouNET, that received an award in Hafkin's Price in 2005 (please refer to http://www.apc.org/english/hafkin/2004/finalists.shtml?cmd%5B810%5D=x-797-31358). I think community-based connectivity should be considered as an alternative approach to personal connectivity in developing countries.

I didn't intend to do so. I apologize.

Very good point about community-based connectivity Miguel. You are absolutely right - a very large fraction of mobile phone users here in East Africa use either the 'community pay phone' or the borrow the phone of a family member or friend. Because this model works so well for these communities, I see no reason why the mobile web can't have a similar usage mode. I know some service providers are incorporating web-browsing functionality into their payphones - essentially creating solo 'internet cafes' out in rural areas. This is definitely a phenomena to watch, as it has major implications for bringing much of the rest of the world online.

Great to read this - and I sense that your observations are spot on (and correspond very closely to our own empirical observations in India). Oral/aural is a fundamental way of humanity's 'sense-making' and 'knowing-sharing' processes around the world.

Hi Nathan I was pointed to your post by a friend, after it reminded him of a very similar one I wrote some time ago. It's so important that this information gets out there - there's a real need for reality checks and few people seem to be doing it. My posting is at http://www.blogspot.kiwanja.net/2007/09/digital-divider.html Keep in touch! Ken http:/www.kiwanja.net

Hi Nathan I was pointed to your post by a friend, after it reminded him of a very similar one I wrote some time ago. It's so important that this information gets out there - there's a real need for reality checks and few people seem to be doing it. My posting is at http://www.blogspot.kiwanja.net/2007/09/digital-divider.html Keep in touch! Ken http:/www.kiwanja.net

Hi Nathan, I do agree with your arguments, who would not ?, but i personnaly draw different conclusions ! Has the mobile web, as defined in Europe or US any value for the Developing World ? the answer is clearly no for all the reasons you mentionned: mostly expensive phones, expensives data plans, no appropriate content. But i think we should not throw out the baby with bath water. I'm convinced that we should focus on making the Web usable and useful for rural communities in Developing Countries. And of course, it should work on very low-end phones and gsm network. So clearly, we have to rethink completly the mobile browser interface, we have to redefine in details the appropriate HCI to fit with people expectation, and to make them natural for those without prior technology background and computer experience. All the points you are making are valid: accessibility for illeterate people, availability of content in native languages... But honnestly i doubt that Voice applications are the aswer. I worked very closely (and even manage for a while) the Voice activity at W3C, and i doubt it is the answer. Voice is great, Voice apps are great, it is very easy to write pilots. If you launch a voice service the way you described it, particularly if people doesn't have to pay the call, it will be very successfull. But isn't the scalability missing ? there are 2 types of scalability: scalability in terms on the number of users you could manage, and scalability in terms of reproducing the experiment at higher scale: having thousands of similar applications running over the continent. In terms of users, voice systems are very very very very expensive when you want to manage thousands of users, and even at low level, if you want to have good quality TTS (not mentionning SR) it is very expensive. imho, the sustainability dimension is missing. Ok it will work if you get funding for a specific project, but otherwise, i'm doubtful. Then about the scalability in terms of applications, this is yet another story. Who knows how to write html/php apps ? millions of people. Who knows how to write voice applications ? 1000 times or 10000 times less people. Usability in voice apps is an incredible challenge.So here again, i don't think that people would be able to develop voice applications all over the continent. The easyness of creating content is why the Web is the success we know today imho, and voice apps were existing before the Web. Just a small point on acessibility for illiterate people (which is far from being a problem for Developing Countries only). This is, imho, independent of the media. Even if you are using voice, you have to take into account the fact that people are illiterate, in hte way you present information and so on. There are lots of ongoing work in that area, for visual applications, through eg the use of meaningfull icons. So again, i agree with all your arguments, but i'm convinced that we should focus on making the Web on mobile phone usable and useful for rural communities in Developing Countries, by taking into acount all the requirements in terms of infrastructure, devices, and above all human factors. and yes, the work is quite huge ! Cheers Stephane

Great post, Nathan. In India, there is a similar problem of a large population of non-web mobile phones and multiple languages and illiteracy. We are experimenting with voice based services. Do you think "mosoko" requires some kind of automated or human-assisted search? i.e. if a user wants to buy a bicycle, how would he find one on mosoko?

Good comments Steph, I think you very well may be correct about the scalability of voice - but perhaps targeted audio advertisements could help offset the costs of interacting with the service? And perhaps the service can only be used during off-peak times of day? Clearly to pull this off in a scalable way we'll have to get in bed with a service provider - but hey - if the network capacity isn't being tapped during much of the day why not sell the excess to us for cheap? I know it's an arrangement that's never been done before, but perhaps it's possible? Regardless, doesn't this mosoko application count as the 'mobile web'? I think it does... I agree that building SMS and voice apps is hard. And the vast majority of Kenyans I know who have been able to afford a higher-end handset have no idea how to configure it for the GPRS network - when I offer to do it for them they refuse claiming they don't see any need for it and don't want to have to pay anything extra. I think we can all agree that once relevant, localized content and services are developed this type of mentality will change... But for now, I can't help but agreeing with these Kenyans who don't want the mobile web on their phones - it simply doesn't add enough value to their lives to justify the cost. However I believe this will change (soon!) and when it does, the hundred(s) of millions low-end phones targeted for Africa will certainly slow internet uptake considerably. cheers, -n.

Good post, Nathan. Last month I covered some new websites that offer news on Africa in different formats and ways than how we see the main stream media generally using the internet. They embrace bloggers, user-generated pictures and comments.
AfricaNews, part of Africa Interactive, has actually been around a little while longer than many of the ones mentioned in that post. However, they’ve been in the middle of sourcing stories via bloggers well before this relaunch. The new site, redesigned to better showcase bloggers and user-generated media just went live today.
Mobile Reporting in AfricaProbably the most innovative part of the whole site, the mobile reporters are Africans reporting via their mobile phones. Using GPRS-enabled phones, anyone can send images, articles and video to someone else. This is a huge, primarily because it means that the on-ground reporters don’t need an internet connection at all - only access to a cell phone tower.
The Voices of Africa project is being piloted by 3 reporters right now - one from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. They are using Nokia E61i phones to send in their stories, working through the technical issues to ensure that it can be rolled out to a much larger group of reporters around the continent.

Very interesting post, Nathan. Don't you mind if I translate it for Russian readers (with link to this post)?

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Great post, Mobile Reporting in Africa Probably the most innovative part of the whole site, the mobile reporters are Africans reporting via their mobile phones.

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Of course technology is going to put a damper on face to face interaction. More and more people are using they cell phones or Internet technology to contact friends, business meetings and so on. It's only going to get worse the more technology advances.

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Who knows how to write voice applications ? 1000 times or 10000 times less people. Usability in voice apps is an incredible challenge.So here again, i don't think that people would be able to develop voice applications all over the continent. The easyness of creating content is why the Web is the success we know today imho, and voice apps were existing before the Web. Just a small point on acessibility for illiterate people (which is far from being a problem for Developing Countries only). This is, imho, independent of the media. hemmeroid treatment | language learning software | countries that speak spanish

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Great post Nathan! Definitely enjoyed reading.
I agree with you. Whilst it is not wrong that mobile companies hype the possibilities that mobile web offers in developing countries, I don't think that it is beneficial..to them..at this stage. I think we need to take small steps, before we introduce new technology to first try to ensure that the current infrastructure is solid and functioning.
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I couldn't agree more with you Nathan on this issue. I spend a lot of time in South Africa, and the amount of online cntent is terribly low. I just do not think that the mobile web is something the developing world will use yet.
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I also agree with Nathan. No one if the mobile companies hype the possibilities of offering mobile web in developing countries. However, I think it was useful. are mobile we can access the Internet and get useful information or not.
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I stumbled across this post while doing some research for an Inpatient Heroin Detox Center on my N95. I must say that mobile web browsing is already a tapped medium in most third world countries if you ask me.

The development of the current mobile internet fast enough. Almost all people use cars vie internet access. Offers mobile web to developing countries I am sure will be many people who use it.

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Well I don't think that people would be able to develop voice applications all over the continent. The easyness of creating content is why the Web is the success we know today imho, and voice apps were existing before the Web.

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