Title: South Africa mobile Internet usage soars to 39%
Source: IT News Africa
Date (published): 10/08/2011
Date (accessed): 10/08/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"The Mobility 2011 research project, conducted by World Wide Worx and backed by First National Bank (FNB), reveals that 39% of urban South Africans and 27% of rural users are now browsing the Internet on their phones.
The study excludes “deep rural” users, and represents around 20-million South Africans aged 16 and above. This means that at least 6-million South Africans now have Internet access on their phones.
...
The most dramatic shift of all, however, is the arrival of e-mail in the rural user-base and its growth among urban users. There has been a substantial shift among the latter, with urban use rising from 10% in 2009 to 27% at the end of 2010. While the percentage growth among rural users is lower, the fact that it was almost non-existent a year before means the 12% penetration reported for 2010 indicates mobile e-mail becoming a mainstream tool across the population."

Title: Top Ten Opera Mini users in Africa
Source: IT News Africa
Date (published): 31/07/2011
Date (accessed): 01/08/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"The “State of the Mobile Web Report” by web browser company Opera Software puts a spotlight on the African region. Here are the top trends in Africa for mobile handsets and usage of the Opera Mini mobile web browser, which is used by 72% of all mobile web users in Africa.

The top 10 countries using the Opera Mini browser in this region are Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Morocco.
Some numbers: From June 2010 to June 2011, page views in the top 10 countries of Africa increased by 187%, unique users increased by 184% and data transferred increased by 199%.
Growth rates in Africa: Zimbabwe and Morocco lead the top 10 countries of the region in terms of page-view growth (4964.8 % and 1598.4 %, respectively).
Zimbabwe and Ethiopia lead the top 10 countries of the region in growth of unique users (4483.3 % and 989.5 %, respectively).
Zimbabwe and Morocco lead the top 10 countries of the region in growth of data transferred (3449.7 % and 1385.9 %, respectively).
Zimbabwe leads the top 10 countries of the region in page views per user, with each user browsing 713 pages on average each month.
Among the countries of Africa, the most popular sites include Facebook, Google, YouTube, Yahoo and Wikipedia."

Title: Rural Mozambique gets Internet, mobile services
Author: Dammiao Dimingos
Source: IT News Africa
Date (published): 28/07/2011
Date (accessed): 28/07/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Mozambique’s Science and Technology ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique’s Mobile Cellular (MCEL), to roll out community multimedia centers in the rural areas.

MCEL will provide Internet access, worth MZN 7.2 billion meticals (about US$255 million) to Mozambique’s six districts.
Teodato Hunguana, Mcel Mobile Board President, says the partnership between MCEL and the Mozambique government will provide Internet services, video courses, manuals, technical and professional skills development, and equipment for the training of local trainers."

Title: Counting Internet Users and calculating divides
Author: Rohan Samarajiv
Source: LIRNEasia
Date (published): 22/09/2010
Date (accessed): 26/09/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"The ITU dataset is the mother lode, mined by all. But sometimes, it is good to interrogate the quality of what the ITU produces. The most recent instance of ITU data being subject to sophisticated analysis without any attention being paid to the quality of the data is by noted ICT4D scholar, Richard Heeks.

In a previous essay, Heeks interrogated the numbers emanating from the ITU on “mobile subscriptions.” It is a pity the same was not done in the recent piece on Internet and broadband.

For example, the ITU reports that Afghanistan had 2,000 Internet subscriptions and 1,000,000 Internet users, indicating the use of a multiplier of 500. In other words, the Afghan administration is asking us to believe that each Internet connection is used by 500 people, in addition to asking us to accept nice round numbers on the subscriptions indicator.

This illustrates the biggest weakness of the ITU’s definition of an Internet User: each national administration is allowed to use a multiplier of its choice to derive the number of Internet users from the number of Internet subscribers, in the absence of demand-side surveys, the first-best way of obtaining the indicator. No low-income countries have reported demand-side survey results. Therefore, the Internet user numbers reported by the ITU are tainted by the use of arbitrary multipliers such as the 500 used by Afghanistan (this is the most outrageous multiplier we found; most are more reasonable). But the point is that it is wrong to permit national administrations which may have incentives to look good in terms of Internet connectivity to use multipliers without any rational basis. LIRNEasia is in the process of developing a practical solution to the problem of the multiplier that will be published shortly."

See:
Global ICT Statistics on Internet Usage, Mobile, Broadband: 1998-2009 by Richard Heeks

Title: Mobile Internet in India
Pages: 32 pp.
Publisher: Internet and Mobile Association of India
Date (published): 08/01/2010
Date (accessed): 12/04/2010
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Wireless infrastructures have emerged as an effective option of connecting to an ever-evolving expansive information network such as the Internet. Such infrastructures, due to their inherent advantages, promise a renewed future in terms of offering improved and exciting services to the existing users...This report details the existing scenario in the domain of mobile Internet, the drivers that could further the growth and the future trends that could be witnessed in the coming years.

Title: Fascinating trends of mobile web and implications for web 2.0 for development
Author: Christian Kreutz
Source: Web2forDev
Date (published): 10/11/2009
Date (accessed): 11/11/2009
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"The mobile phone is becoming a key device used in the contexts of most ICT4D approaches . But, so far, it could only be partially used to access web2.0 tools as this application would necessarily need its more sophisticated smart phone alter ego. What is the likelihood that an increasing number of people will soon have access to the Internet via their mobile phones? What role can the mobile phone play to leverage the shift to web2fordev? The latest statistics challenge us to rethink web2fordev.

The wide dissemination of mobile phones embodies the potential that an increasing number of people would soon be in the position to access the web through their phones. No doubt the high prices alone and the low-cost models without Internet access are still one of the many obstacles, but who could imagine five years ago that 45-50% of traffic to the BBC's mobile sport and news sites would come from African countries? This is one of many fascinating insights I picked up from the recent Mobile Web Africa conference over Twitter."

Title: New Paths: Exploring Mobile-Centric Internet Use in South Africa
Authors: Jonathan Donner, Shikoh Gitau
Pages: 21 pp.
Date (published): 01/05/2009
Date (accessed): 06/11/2009
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"This paper reports on ongoing qualitative/exploratory research in low income communities in urban South Africa. Through convenience and snowball sampling, the researchers have sought out ‘early adopters’ among mobile-only internet users. The analysis of the interviews will delineate and describe distinctive new “paths” to Internet use that largely bypass PCs. We draw on a domestication approach (Haddon, 2003; Hahn & Kibora, 2008; Silverstone & Hirsch, 1992) to move beyond an ‘adoption’ or ‘diffusion’ paradigm and to complement aggregate statistical perspectives.
As exploratory research, this project cannot definitively identify all the new paths to the internet, nor the relative frequency with which individuals choose these paths. However, early findings will illustrate current and emerging practices in mobile-only internet use, as well as opportunities and constraints for policymakers interested in promoting or leveraging internet use among a much broader community of the world’s inhabitants"

Paper presented at "Mobile 2.0: Beyond Voice?” Pre-conference workshop at the International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Chicago, Illinois 20 – 21 May 2009

Title: Kenya: Telecoms Shift Focus to Internet As Demand Grows
Author: Kui Kinyanjui
Source: Business Daily (Nairobi)
Publisher: AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)
Date published: 03/07/2009
Date accessed: 03/07/2009
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Kenya's mobile providers are moving to strengthen their Internet offerings in response to growing demand for services over the last quarter.

Zain Kenya has announced a 25 per cent cost reduction for the unlimited Internet package in a move aimed at growing its market share in the increasingly competitive data business, while its rivals Telkom Kenya and Safaricom announced the launch of online portals geared at driving more subscribers to use data services.

Title: Can Mobile Internet Help Alleviate Social Exclusion in Developing Countries?
Authors: Wallace Chigona, Darry Beukes, Junaid Vally, Maureen Tanner
Pages: 16 pp.
ISSN: 1681-4835
Source: EJISDC (2009) 36, 7, 1-16
Publisher: The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
Date published: 2009
Date accessed: 22/06/2009
Type of information: research article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Research has shown that traditional Internet has not been successful in alleviating social exclusion in developing country. Since a significant number of the population in developing countries use mobile phones, others have suggested that mobile internet may be the solution to the problem. However, to date there has not been empirical studies in developing countries to explore that possibility. This study aims therefore to explore whether the mobile internet may be a viable option for addressing social exclusion in a developing country context. Data for the study was gathered using semi-structured interviews with socially excluded individuals and the data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study show that usage of mobile internet amongst the socially excluded is low mainly because internet-capable cell phones are still beyond the reach of the socially excluded and because of limited awareness of what mobile internet is and what it can achieve. The study also shows that while mobile internet has significant impact in addressing exclusion from social participation, its impact on economic as well political dimensions of exclusions is still limited.