Mobile phone news from Africa...
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:41 amRising from the ruins of the Mogadishu skyline are signs of one of Somalia's few success stories in the anarchy of recent years.
Mobile phone masts are among the few new structures in Mogadishu
A host of mobile phone masts testifies to the telecommunications revolution which has taken place despite the absence of any functioning national government since 1991.
Three phone companies are engaged in fierce competition for both mobile and landline customers, while new internet cafes are being set up across the city and the entire country.
It takes just three days for a landline to be installed - compared with waiting-lists of many years in neighbouring Kenya, where there is a stable, democratic government.
And once installed, local calls are free for a monthly fee of just $10.
International calls cost 50 US cents a minute, while surfing the web is charged at 50 US cents an hour - "the cheapest rate in Africa" according to the manager of one internet cafe.
Mobile phone masts are among the few new structures in Mogadishu
A host of mobile phone masts testifies to the telecommunications revolution which has taken place despite the absence of any functioning national government since 1991.
Three phone companies are engaged in fierce competition for both mobile and landline customers, while new internet cafes are being set up across the city and the entire country.
It takes just three days for a landline to be installed - compared with waiting-lists of many years in neighbouring Kenya, where there is a stable, democratic government.
And once installed, local calls are free for a monthly fee of just $10.
International calls cost 50 US cents a minute, while surfing the web is charged at 50 US cents an hour - "the cheapest rate in Africa" according to the manager of one internet cafe.