Internet driving smartphone growth
New research shows that the main driver for smartphone uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa is consumers’ growing need to access the internet.
Ericsson has released its first regional consumer insight report focusing on trends and analysis of the mobile ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In its Ericsson ConsumerLab Report, the technology company found that 44% of people aim to get a smartphone in order to surf the internet, with 34% wanting to go on social networking sites.
56% of respondents who currently do not browse the internet on their mobile phone are interested in doing so in the future, Ericsson said.
This ConsumerLab report also showed that the top three communication services used (other than voice) are sending/receiving SMS messages (72%), social networking (44%), and browsing the internet (43%).
Ericsson’s Shiletsi Makhofane said: “Our analysis shows that the entry of low-cost smartphone handsets in the market will allow people from different social classes to benefit from an integrated ecosystem.”
“The smartphone will become key to accessing the internet, which we believe will change the regional status quo and enable a level of connectivity not seen before.”
“Add to this the on-going installation of submarine cables and country/city fiber-optic networks across the continent, and we’ll see a significant increase in the potential for connectivity and supporting infrastructure for greater data consumption.”
More on smartphones in Africa
South Africans in debt for smartphones
Loading ...