3G Revolution: Blowing Winds of Change in Africa

The past week was a tumultuous one in the internet world, with major websites, including our own pctechmagazine.com, shutting down for 24 hours on Wednesday to protest the SOPA/PIPA acts being debated in the US Congress and Senate. Less than 24 hours later, the FBI shut down megaupload.com, and issued arrest warrants to its owners. However, even with all this hype, my attention was turned to the ease with which I learned of these stories. Within a few minutes, I had full knowledge about the proposed acts, and I had reviewed reactions from various sections in the internet industry, all in the comfort of my own home. And to what do I attribute this? 3G.

The old adage goes: ‘when two elephants fight, the grass suffers’. This doesn’t seem to be the case in the telecom sector in Africa, particularly Uganda. The fierce price wars we have witnessed in the past few years between telecom operators have spilt onto the battlefield of data, and the beneficiaries are the consumers. In the past year alone, we have seen two telecom operators rush to install country-wide 3G networks, with rumors claiming a third telecom operator is planning to launch its own 3G network early this year. In effect, all the operators in Uganda will have deployed country-wide 3G networks, setting the stage for an interesting battle that all customers cannot wait to watch.

The battle however has already begun between the existing operators. The entry of these new players, with their generous offers to customers, has seen the prices of dongles and data bundles reduce by more than 50%. Two years ago, when one operator dominated the data market, 3G dongles cost about UGX 150,000 (US$ 60). Currently, there are 3G dongles on the market that that cost as little as UGX59000 (US$ 23.6). The same trend is seen in the prices of data bundles.

The result of all this is cheap, accessible internet to customers. Many internet users have shunned conventional ways of accessing internet, such as internet cafés and free wireless access in public places, for the more convenient, affordable and readily available 3G. The nature of the technology itself makes it the preferred choice for many customers. It offers download speeds of 7.2 Mbps, far greater than those of previous technologies. And it being a mobile technology (similar to mobile phones), it inevitably has the power to transform lives in Africa, the same way the mobile phone changed Africa. 3G allows easy access to internet using any 3G-capable mobile device, be it a phone, a 3G-enabled netbook, or a computer with a dongle.

But not everyone is happy with the advent of 3G technology. As the big elephants tussle it out to decide who is greater than the other, the smaller animals watch on in despair as the grass they would have eaten is seized by the elephants. Other players in the internet market have lost a number of customers to telecom operators. Particularly, internet cafés these days no longer have the long lines of customers waiting for their turn to access the limited number of computers. Other ISP may be able to retain corporate customers, but many of their small-scale subscribers have inevitably run to the more convenient choice of 3G.

Many projections were made at the beginning of 2012, forecasting growth in the use of various technologies. In addition to those technologies, 3G is the technology to look out for this year. Internet penetration in African markets will definitely grow at unimaginable rates, making access to information easier. The UN recently declared access to internet a human right, and 3G is definitely the best tool to ensure universal access to internet in Africa. 

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