The Mobile Phone in Africa: Has It Become a Highway to the Information Society or Not?

Abstract

The single most dynamic ICT development in recent years has been the worldwide surge in mobile phone subscriptions. This " mobile miracle " has been continued in the developing world and particularly in Africa. In a time when discourses on the information society have focused on the internet, the mobile phone has been providing access to electronic communication to people at the bottom of the income pyramid – often for the first time in their lives. Mobile broadband internet has furthermore raised hopes that mobile phones can allow Africa to leapfrog across the digital divide to be integrated into the information society. This paper addresses issues related to Africa's position in the information society pertaining to access to mobile phones and mobile-broadband; pricing, ICT skills and readiness, usage patterns and impact on the lives of Africans. Conclusions are drawn on the potential role of mobile phones as information highways to the information society. INTRODUCTION Since the 1990s – and particularly since academics and analysts have started to take note of the far-reaching changes brought about by the explosive growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs) – the concept of the " information society " has gained popularity (Van Oudenhove, 2003). Although various definitions of an information society has been forwarded, the concept is generally associated with the proliferation of ICTs – the so-called " information highways " of our times – and beliefs that the new possibilities to create, store and distribute information created by ICTs have fostered a new kind of society, that is an information society. Closely associated with notions of the information society is the conceptualisation of information in economic terms (Madikiza & Bornman, 2007). Information is regarded as a commodity that can be bought and sold on world markets. The power and status of nation states, collectivities, organisations and/or individuals is furthermore determined by their access to and their ability to dominate and/or control information highways of which the internet is regarded as the most important. Economic growth and development is thus associated with the spread of as well as usage of ICTs within a particular nation state or society (International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 2011; Van Audenhove, 2003). Thus information has created both a new social and economic order. It is furthermore widely believed that the proliferation of ICTs within a nation state or a society and the concomitant integration with the information society will have positive social and economic consequences as it will, among others, raise productivity, increase work opportunities, contribute towards the spread of information and knowledge, and in general raise the quality of life of the population (Van Audenhove, 2003). It is furthermore believed that the proliferation of ICTs could help developing countries to " leapfrog " stages of development towards becoming advanced information societies (Hyde-Clark & Van Tonder, 2011). Manuel Castells (2000, 2001) represents one of the most prolific adherents to the viewpoint that a society's economic growth and development is dependent on the spread of ICTs throughout the society. In contrast to this optimistic view of the impact of ICTs – also known as the technophilic view – there is, however, also a pessimistic or technophobic viewpoint within which technophilics are accused of technological determinism. Technophobes such as Van Dijk (1999) believe that ICTs could also have wide-ranging negative effects for a society as it can lead, among others, to a decrease in work opportunities and can increase the gap between the rich and the poor. Concomitant with the technophobic role of the impact of ICTs are discourses on the so-called " digital divide " (Madikiza & Bornman, 2011). Within these discourses it is pointed out that disparities between developed and developing countries with regard to access to and control of the information highways make it more difficult for developing countries to compete in the global economy and in other fields and to become full players in the information society. Technophilics nevertheless believe that the spread, uptake and use of ICTs remains the only way to bridge the digital divide, also known as the " North-South " divide. The digital divide and its dire consequences for the developing world is nowhere more conspicuous than within the African continent and in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa is by far the least computerised region of the world (Castells, 2000; Jensen, 2006). With the exception of a few major cities, ICT infrastructure on the continent is scarce at best and nonexistent at worst (Kamalipour, 2007). African countries also rank relatively low – below the top 50 − in most indices of globalisation and the information society (Dutta & Mia, 2009; ITU, 2011). In an era where other developing countries such as those in East-Asia have been making major strides towards becoming modern economies and full members of the information society, Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa have furthermore experienced a noteworthy deterioration in their relative position with regard to trade, investment, production and consumption in comparison with other areas of the world – including other developing areas. According to Castells (2000), this state of affairs can predominantly be ascribed to the region's social exclusion from the information highways of the information society. Thus the question can be posed: What does Africa – and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular – need to do to change its exclusion from the information society and its lack of competitiveness in the global economy? Can the mobile phone play a role in helping the continent to leapfrog towards becoming a full member of the information society and being globally competitive? These and other questions will be addressed in the sections that follow. CHARACTERISTICS OF AND PROCESSES TOWARDS BECOMING AN INFORMATION SOCIETY The first issues that need to be considered are the developmental fundamentals for any country or region for being integrated into the information society and the global economy. As already mentioned, Castells (2000, 2001) regards the proliferation of ICTs, and the ability to adapt to and make use of the opportunities created by ICTs, as the first critical factor in accessing wealth, power and knowledge within the current global order. The establishment of technological infrastructure, which includes advanced telecommunication networks, internet connectivity, the infrastructure to make use of computers and advanced computer systems (including electrification), are mentioned as vital factors in this regard. There is, however, also a second factor − the proportion of knowledgeable labour in a country – that has become an important factor in determining the degree of social inclusion or exclusion of a particular country or region (Muller, Cloete & Badat 2001). Self-programmable labour is those people in a society that can become producers of knowledge and information (Castells, 2000). Self-programmable labour represents people with high educational qualifications and exceptional skills levels. Non-self-programmable or generic labour, on the other hand, do not have the capacity to generate productivity in a similar way than self-programmable labour. The most important factor that distinguishes the two groups is not only education but also the quality of education. Thus it is not only the availability of