Researchictafrica 2009

Report

A Research ICT Africa paper, ‘Mobile Telephony Access and Usage in Africa’, by Chabossou, Stork, Stork and Zahonogo, analysing nationally representative household survey data from 17 African countries to examine what drives mobile phone adoption and usage. The study finds income and education are the strongest predictors of mobile adoption, with gender, age and social network membership having little effect, and that mobile spending is income-inelastic — wealthier users spend a smaller share of income on mobile services — leading to concrete recommendations for regulatory interventions to lower access and usage costs.