dial 1-800-collect, Uganda-style

The digital world took Africa by storm. 10 years ago no one in Africa had a phone if they lived outside the city and made less than $10,000/year, which is pretty much 95% of the people in Africa. Enter digital technology. People don't have running water or electricity, but they have cell phones. Cellular technology let governments off the hook - now they didn't need to invest the loads of money necessary to build landline infrastructure (telephone poles, wires, etc). Instead, get a few satellites and towers around and everyone can enjoy the telecommunication revolution. Crazy thing is that for most Africans a cell phone is their first phone ever. Contrast that to the US. I remember when the first person got a cell phone at Carleton...it happened my senior year, 2000. She stuck out like a sore thumb - people thought she was a total poser. Who was she, all Miss Snotty Rich Girl walking around campus with a cell phone? 6 years changes a lot - I don't know too many Americans who are my contemporaries (late 20s) who own landlines, and all the Africans I know (even those who make $100/month) have cell phones.

So, anyway...

Buying a cell phone in Uganda is very different than in the US. In the US, we are locked into the plans offered by cellular companies and the phones that they attach to those plans. We buy the plan, then the phone comes with it. In Uganda, you can buy any phone anywhere. Then, you buy a SIM card, which gives you the phone number. A SIM card in Uganda is 7,000/= (approx $4), in Tanzania you can get a SIM card for $1. Then, you buy an airtime card and load minutes onto your phone. Basically, you put the pieces of the cell phone – physical handset, phone number (SIM card), and airtime – together yourself.

You can buy airtime cards virtually anywhere in the city...stores, petrol stations, street-side kiosks. They come in increments of 5,000/=, 10,000/=, 20,000/=, and 40,000/=. Maybe they go higher than that, but I haven't seen it yet. It's 1,000/= per minute to call Uganda to the States. Inter-Uganda calls are closer to...maybe 200/= per minute? You only pay airtime to call out from your phone. To receive calls it's free. And to send SMS (text) messages it's virtually nothing. So people spend all their time SMSing each other. I don't mind that trend actually 'cos then when you need information from someone, but don't want to talk to them or waste minutes going through the little niceties (Hi. How are you? I was wondering...) or whatever, you can just text them. Also, since it's cheap to SMS and free to receive calls, people without minutes on their phone text you asking you to call them. No money on their part and they still get to talk to you. It's Uganda's version of "dial 1-800-collect." 101paige 101africa 101ht