That the mobile Internet is significant and growing in importance is hardly news. In Africa specifically, challenges in landline infrastructure and the costs of an Internet connection has made the cellphone the obvious choice for most of the population.

Statistics released by the BBC back in 2006 told us that 61% of their WAP (wireless application protocol) users came from Nigeria and 19% from South Africa. Many cited the BBC WAP service as the only way they could access news. The same BBC article discussed that while PC ownership in Africa may be low, “PC literacy is surprisingly high”.

This means that while the Web might not be conveniently accessible through computers in these communities, its use and value is well understood.

Access to international information is an important aspect for a developing nation. The important role blogging played during the violence in Kenya, for example, shows how mobile use helped to share information originating from the country as well as provide information to it – obviously an important role for global democracy.

Given the importance and potential of mobiles as personal access devices I found Nokia’s recent offline moves particularly insightful. Business Week reported that Nokia’s design team set up studio’s In Mumbai, Accra and Rio de Janeiro where members of the public could come to design their dream phones. Nokia has managed to go to the source, establishing a relationship with people who are clearly at the core of their present and future markets.


In these urban communities with limited access to computers, enticing people to come in off the street and make suggestions through sketches also moves a great way towards understanding the context and communities within which this kind of technology should function.
 
It seems that cellphones could even improve lives in ways that aren’t just about communication; one contributor suggested the design of a phone with a sensor to test water quality, something that would be immensely “useful in emerging markets”.

Of course it all depends on how successfully Nokia (or any cellphone manufacturer) implements the best ideas. The iPhone is an example of the evolution of mobile phones – but isn’t generally available here in South Africa yet, and can hardly be described as specifically relevant to emerging markets.

Arguably, understanding technology and communication on the African continent already demands an understanding of cellphones and the mobile Web. Nokia’s move to design phones that are significant to specific communities, in the areas where mobile Internet and mobiles are used the most – demonstrates a way of thinking that could further evolve the use of the mobile phone in emerging markets.