Cell Phone Industry in Sudan

The Urban Approach

Cars are honking, busses are rushing through amongst the hurried people that arewalking on the filled streets of Khartoum; this is your typical weekday in some of the capital’s streets. What I found particularly interesting is that in the midst of allthis busy atmosphere, many people were using their cell phones. With some people conversing on their cell phones, others are sending text messages. One thing is very clear here in Khartoum; cell phones are everywhere and many people have them. But why is the case in an urban city of a developing country like Sudan? After spending a few days here, the answer became very clear to me. Unlike Canada, Sudan does not a strong communications infrastructure. Canada, on the other hand, is very well-connected through a strong communication infrastructure that accommodates an advanced information society. In Canada, for example, households, businesses and institutions are well connected through land lines/home phones, from east to west, north to south. In Sudan, the system has not reached this level as yet. The country is not as connected through land lines. This is one of the main reasons why there continues to be such a high demand for cell phones to this present day. People are turning to cell phones to stay connected, instead of waiting for the government to strengthen the communications infrastructure.

When cell phones were introduced in the mid- to late-1990s here in Sudan, people jumped at the opportunity to become connected. Walking down the streets of Khartoum alone has shown me that having a cell phone here is irrespective of age, sex and social status; it is something that anyone that can afford can have. It’s not about being techno-savvy over here when it comes to cell phones; it’s about staying connected. Cell phones and their accessories can be bought in many parts of downtown Khartoum at communication centres as well as stores that provide cell phone services. People usually leave their homes to come to these communication centres to communicate, i.e. to use the internet and/or make calls using the land lines. At the same time, those that have a cell phone can also meet all their needs at these centres; they can get everything from airtime for their phones (scratch cards as they are called here) and all kinds of accessories. As well, there are specific stores that only provide cell phone services; such as selling and repairing cell phones, selling sim-cards, airtime and all kinds of accessories. To find over 7 kinds of these centres and stores in merely one street showed me just how cell phones are embedded in the society here. Although airtime is quite costly, here in Sudan and in many parts of Africa, the beauty of the pay-as-you-go system allows customers to receive calls for free, unlike in Canada, where most cell phone service providers charge you to make and receive calls. With three major cell phone networks in Sudan, Mobitel, Sudani and Areeba, one usually finds good deals in terms of services and costs. While speaking with a few people on the streets, I learnt that cell phones and their services cost less now than they did when they were first introduced.

I was actually quite surprised to find a few street vendors selling cell phone services. On the side of one of the main streets, a man set up his cell phone accessories on the floor; this is where he conducts his business. I also found vendors who were walking with chargers and other kinds of accessories. It is clear the cell phone industry in urban parts of Sudan is quite lucrative. As the country works hard at improving its communication infrastructure, the population is, in a sense, a step ahead with their cell phones. City settlers use their cell phones for business and pleasure; while cell phones continue to connect friends and families, they also allow businessmen to run their businesses more efficiently. Having a cell phone is not merely a need here, especially when it comes to businesses. It is also a want as many people want to belong to society and keep up with the changes. In other words, it’s quite fashionable to have a cell phone. In this part of the world, connection is everything; it is all about who you are connected to.

In the rural areas, such as the hundreds of villages spread across all parts of Sudan, the story is quite different. Not many people can afford cell phones and those that can usually fall under two groups. There are those that use the cell phones to stay connected with their families and friends who are in different parts of the country as well as those that are abroad. There are also those that use cell phones for purely administrative reasons. For example, it was interesting to learn that teachers use cell phones to stay connected with the hub, which is Khartoum. When the administration in Khartoum needs to relay any information to the rural and remote areas, they turn to cell phones to fulfill this function.

Now, the question is, is it a good thing that a developing country like Sudan has such a large cell phone industry? Yes and No. Indeed, cell phones allow people to stay connected with each other and the outside world. But at the same time, the jump into using and relying on cell phone and these communication centres means that the country is lagging behind when it comes to a strong and solid communications infrastructure.

Links

-Business/Marketing/Cell Phone Curriculum

-Introduction to Accounting – Entrepreneurship and Franchise Curriculum

-OCDSB: Subject Area – Introduction to Business BB120; Unit – Entrepreneurship & Franchise.

MultiMedia:

-Videos

  • Overview of Cell Phone industry in Sudan
  • Interview #1:Interview with Mr. Augustino about cell phone usage
  • Interview #2: Interview with Ms. Rania, who works for an entrepreneur who started a business around cell phones and cell phone services.
  • Interview #3:Interview with an entrepreneur talking about how using cell phones is changing his business.

-Pictures:

  • CellPhone (1)–A shop in downtown Khartoum providing cell phone services such as cell phones, sim cards, airtime cards, chargers and all kinds of cell phone accessories.
  • CellPhone (2) – A poster advertising cell phones for the Sudani cell phone network.
  • CellPhone (3) – In many streets of Khartoum, there stands numerous billboard posters of cell phone advertisements. This is one of Mobitel; one of Sudan’s leading cell phone network.
  • CellPhone (4) – A shop in downtown Khartoum providing cell phone services; this one specializes in providing services for Areeba, another cell phone network.
  • CellPhone (5) – A billboard advertisement advertising cell phones.
  • CellPhone (6)–An advertisement for Areeba.
  • CellPhone (7) –Woman talking on cell phone.
  • CellPhone (8) – Man using his cell phone on a busy street.