Article
Fixed line infrastructure is largely absent throughout Africa’s rural heartlands, many say this is why cellular stands the greatest chance of delivering internet services to the masses. But 3G network rollouts are rare, sophisticated handsets expensive and ARPU margins so low that the mobile internet will remain the preserve of the wealthy minority. Speaking on Day One of the 2007 AfricaCom event, held in Cape Town, South Africa, Stephane Boyera of the W3C Mobile Web Initiative, outlined his organisation’s vision for bringing the benefits of a connectedness to some of the most economically undeveloped regions on the planet.