An in-depth study of the ICT ecosystem in a South African rural community: unveiling expenditure and communication patterns
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge
Abstract
There is no doubt of the contributions made by mobile phones and mobile network operators in increasing access to communications in rural areas of developing countries. Yet how affordable is this ubiquitous access in such an ICT ecosystem? Using data from two stratified random surveys conducted in a South African rural community, this paper provides a unique in-depth picture of the expenditure and communication patterns of its dwellers. Results show a high access ratio of people using mobile phone services weekly and a high proportion of disposable income dedicated to a very constrained set of mobile phone services. Factors such as mobile phone charging and the extra charges added by airtime resellers contribute to increase the communication costs. This data and its analysis can be used by the following: regulators and government agencies to better design their policy implementations to provide universal service and access; competing industry players to understand the dynamics within rural communities to better target their products; civil society organizations to a constitutional right.
Description
Keywords
ICT ecosystem, South Africa, Expenditure patterns, Mobile phone usage, Rural areas, Mobile phone ownership
Citation
Rey-Moreno, C., Blignaut, R., May, J., & Tucker, W. D. (2016). An in-depth study of the ICT ecosystem in a South African rural community: unveiling expenditure and communication patterns. Information Technology for Development, 22(sup 1), 101–120. http://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2016.1155145