Free SMS to Ghana ads on Facebook

If you are a regular Facebook user in Ghana, you would have noticed recent free sms ads like the ones shared to the left of this article. One of the companies advertising free sms to Ghana is SMSGH. SMSGH owns a platform for free sms at lite.mytxtbox.com

Alex Adjei Bram is the General Manager (Sales/Marketing) of SMSGH.COM
I chatted with him recently to ask about their new free sms services and to know the catch behind it as well as how they intend to make considering several free sms websites have failed in the past.

Oluniyi: I’d wanted a few questions about your free sms service.

Alex: Ok

Oluniyi: What’s the business model? Do you want to harvest people’s mobile numbers and then blast ads to them?

Alex: No

Oluniyi: As you know, nothing is really really ever free and considering you are spending money to even advertise the service.

Alex: Ha Ha Ha Ha. The messages are paid for by advertisers.

Oluniyi: Oh okay. Ad driven.

Alex: Yeah

Oluniyi: …but several of such websites have failed in the past. What makes you think you would succeed? What makes yours different?

Alex: Advertisers who use http://pro.mytxtbox.com can place SMS ads with specific keywords.

Oluniyi: Ah. Yours is sort of targetted. Since you mentioned keywords, that implies that the messages flowing through your systems are scanned for words. What about privacy issues?

Alex: Privacy for users or privacy for advertisers?

Oluniyi: For users.

Alex: It’s the standard website privacy policy we’re running on but users’ details are not disclosed to advertisers.

Oluniyi: I see.

Alex: Have you tried it yet?

Oluniyi: Trust me. It tested it the first day I came across it. How has the reception been?

Alex: Somewhat overwhelming.

Oluniyi: Really? That’s impressive.

Alex: We’re currently doing 4 messages every minute. We hope that once a recipient mass is built advertisers can ride on that to market their products.

Oluniyi: At the rate of patronage you described as “somewhat overwhelming”, how do you see your free sms service in 3 months’ time?

Alex: At this rate we may hit 3 msg/ sec in 3 months time. Could even be way more.

Oluniyi: Impressive.

Alex: I would love for you to try it out. Register an account at pro.mytxtbox.com We’ll top you up with some credits and then you can give us some feedback.

Oluniyi: Google has recently turned attention to your market audience. How do you find the competition from Google?

Alex: It’s going to be exciting. Google being an international brand and all. We hope they will bring some good competition to the industry.

Oluniyi: Why exciting, considering Google is a MEGA competitor?

Alex: We’re very excited.

Oluniyi: You have not stated the cause of your excitement. …in relation to Google.

Alex: Google will bring some good attention to the industry. We think we are good too… They have some pretty good products.

Oluniyi: Good enough not to be worried about competition from Google. I see.

Alex: No. We are not at all worried.

Oluniyi: So how effective and relevant is SMS advertising from your years of experience in Ghana?

Alex: It’s very effective.

Oluniyi: Does your service offer any means of measuring effectiveness?

Alex: And yes quite relevant too. Most of the time via reply short codes. We usually record an average of over 6% response which is far better than radio, TV and print put together. But SMS needs to be used right when applied wrongly responses are even in the negative. That’s the challenge of the industry.

Oluniyi: In that case, what help do you offer to your clients on how to use SMS marketing effectively?

Alex: Apart from our free marketing guides and other literature we deploy apps that help users utilize SMS effectively.

The message read:

New! Free SMS in Gmail
Send free SMS directly from Gmail – just enter a phone number and click Enter. SMS replies come right to your Gmail inbox.
This service is now available for mobile phones in Ghana.

The free SMS can be sent directly from within Gmail once the user logs in, as seen from the screenshot below:

Free SMS in Gmail. Snapshot from Gmail.com

According to Google:

Sending a message is free from Gmail to any phone. When replying with an SMS from phone to Gmail, you will be charged a regular SMS rate by your mobile provider. Gmail SMS is currently available in Ghana with MTN, Zain, Tigo and Kasapa.

However, efforts to try out the new service on MTN, Zain and Vodafone have so far failed as can be seen from the screenshot below. The numbers were whitened due to privacy concerns but the network codes can be clearly identified:

Gmail free SMS to Ghana failing so far.

Gmail is a free, advertising-supported webmail, POP3, and IMAP service provided by Google.

UPDATE: Google has since fixed the bug.

The entire kit cost N18,650:

• HSDPA USB stick: N8,500
• MTN SIM: N150
• Airtime: N10,000 (24/7 monthly plan)

The MTN agent asked for an ID and passport photo. As I had no prior knowledge they would demand this, I was only fortunate that I always carried a driving licence and spare passport photos in my wallet everywhere I go, for times like this. Be informed. Also, I was made to sign a fine print containing their terms of service.

The device

MTN Nigeria 3G pack

Branded as MTN F@stlink E156G, the USB stick is essentially a Huawei E156G with the following specifications:

• HSDPA/UMTS 2100MHz – it can connect to just about any 3.5G cellular network in the world if it were unlocked.
• EDGE/GPRS/GSM 1900/1800/900/850 MHz – it can connect to just about any GSM cellular network in the world if it were unlocked.
• HSDPA service data rate up to 3.6Mbps – real life speeds would vary
• SMS service – users can send and receive text messages when using the bundled software
• Micro SD card slot – it can take a Micro SD of up to 4GB capacity and thus double as a USB drive
• Plug and play – there is no need to install software from a CD. The software bundled on the device would have to be installed though, for PCs and Macs.

Before you decide to buy, the device has the following system requirements:

• Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista. I am safely assuming it would work well on Windows 7. Also, I got it to work on Ubuntu 9.10
• Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 with latest upgrades
• Hardware system should meet the recommended requirements for the installed OS version
• Display resolution: 800 x 600 and above
• Standard USB interface

The software
Branded MTN F@stlink, it offers 7 tabs, namely:

• Connection: this is where the user initiates a connection or disconnection to/from the MTN network
• Statistics: offers a detailed break-down of data usage and includes a graph
• Message: enables the user to send/receive text messages and manage existing messages
• Phonebook: an address book that saves contact details.. Record include Name, Mobile Number, Office Number, Home Number, Email address and Remarks.
• Airtime: enables the user to check and load airtime. It is divided into postpaid and prepaid, to cater for both market segments.
• Internet: a click on this loads the default web browser
• Bundle plan: enables the user to select which of the bundle plans to subscribe to, and check the status of an existing bundle. This service is for prepaid subscribers only. The confirmation is via a text message.

The bundles
MTN Nigeria offers 3 data bundles:

• 24/7 Monthly Plan: this is the ultimate plan from MTN and comes with a 3GB data cap but is available 24 hours every day within a 30 days period. It goes for N10,000 per month. This bundle is ideal for heavy users.
• Nite Plan: this is usable only from 10pm to 5am and also comes with a 3GB data limit but costs only N2,500 monthly. This bundle is ideal for surfers who have a day job and can afford to stay awake all night.
• 24 hours Daily: this is clearly targetted at the occasional web surfer and comes with a meagre 50MB data cap. It costs only N500.

The service
I subjected the mobile broadband service to a speed test at the time of writing using speedtest.net; the following screenshot shows the highest speed I got. Note that speedtest.com used Vodafone Ghana’s server for the test.

The results shown in the screenshot above just about represent an average of the several tests I carried out. It shows that MTN Nigeria offers a download speed of about 0.43 Mb/s and a miserable upload speed of 0.06Mb/s as well as a high latency of 366ms.

This means, upload heavy data using the mobile broadband service would be a slow experience and making phone/video calls via the Internet would be less than ideal due to the high latency as seen from the ping test.

The coverage
It is critical to confirm 3G coverage in your locality before opting for MTN’s mobile broadband service for therein lies the key to the advertised speeds. From the marketing flyer attached to the kit:

3G service is currently available in most part of Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano, Benin, Ibadan, Kaduna, Onitsha, Aba, Asaba.

MTN also offers an extensive EDGE coverage that is even more nationwide. EDGE which offers a fairly fast connectivity is available where there is no 3G coverage.

The bad
The MTN mobile broadband service was not without hiccups, at the time of extensive use.

• Intermittent disconnections: The service simply went off occasionally and connection could be re-established by disconnecting and re-connecting from the network. At other times, the downtime lasted over an hour.
• SSL traffic: Occasionally, it was impossible to access secured websites. All access to URLs starting with https:// were in possible and thus secured chatting programs like Yahoo Messenger and Skype failed to connect too. This error typically occurred at mid-mornings.
• Not all websites were accessible: Even when the mobile broadband service was at its peak of performance, some websites were not accessible despite repeated attempts. The persistent error message was: “No suitable nodes are available to serve your request.” A work-around this was to use a proxy server.
• The offered data bundles are not very flexible as users’ choices are limited. Heavy users are forced to subscribed to the 24/7 monthly plan for N10,000 even if they would need less than 3GB monthly.
• It is difficult to know the status of usage after crossing the 1GB milestone. Checking your data usage via SMS thereafter does not offer an exact figure of used data but simply states that 2GB has been used. It is thus difficult for the user to know when usage is getting close to the 3GB limit.

The verdict
MTN Nigeria’s mobile broadband service offers high-speed internet connectivity much of the time and is worth buying where mobile connectivity is needed or fixed broadband options are not available provided the user can live with the few annoyances highlighted above.

Note: it is possible to enjoy the broadband service from MTN without buying their F@stlink modem. One could either browse on the (smart)phone itself or use it as a modem. When using the phone as a modem, the user would need the following:

• a 3.5G-capable mobile phone
• modem driver & dialling software: these are typically provided on a CD bundled with the phone, by the phone manufacturer, or can be downloaded via the Internet
• a means of connectivity the phone to a computer: whilst bluetooth is usable, USB is ideal. Infrared is archaic.
• an MTN data bundle subscription

Backstory*:

• I have used the MTN Mobile Broadband service extensively before buying their F@stlink modem, using Nokia smartphones as modem and have experienced the high speed in Lagos, Ibadan and Kaduna. EDGE worked in Zaria.
• MTN branded complimentary gift items accompanied the broadband kit: a pen and a writing pad.
• I did not have enough time to read the terms before signing and so not sure about what it contains.

*The info in the “backstory” section, are what I considered too trivial to add into the main body of the review but useful enough to share with you.

Did you find this review useful, feel free to share this blog with others. Do you have an additions or questions about this review, add these using the comments area.

The innovative event already has a long roll-call of speakers and facilitators, and has special round-table sessions that would enable every delegate to participate in the discussions. The official website for Mobile Web East Africa is at www.mobileeastafrica.com

The first 40 delegates would receive a free copy of the current edition of MobileWorld magazine, courtesy Mobile Africa.

Mobile World delivers cutting edge mobile communications news, information technology, reviews, essential tips, and information on existing and new equipments, gizmo’s, gadgets and provides a fresh perspective on current events as relevant within the global communications market.

The current edition of MobileWorld magazine

The current edition includes:

• Nigeria hits 67 million subscribers …now Africa’s No. 1 telecoms market – ITU (cover story)
• Ndukwe is Nigeria’s Father of Telecom Revolution
• Midwifing a knowledge-driven economy, the MTN example
• Lagosians endorse Multi-Links Telkom’s Ev-Do Product & Services
• Safaricom launches Dynamic Discount tariff
• Zain, EMS and RIM introduce the Blackberry Solution in Ghana
• Vodafone, Zain, MTN, Tigo, Glo Mobile and their competition in Ghana by Oluniyi David Ajao
• and much more…

MobileWorld magazine is a publication of Instinct Media, a UK-based publisher.

MTN 3G pack. Photo by Oluniyi David Ajao.

I recently picked up an MTN “Exclusive 3G Pack” for 100 Ghana Cedis (about $69) and have used it extensively for about 14 days mainly in Accra. The information below is based on some of my experience using the mobile broadband service.

The 3G pack contained:

• an MTN-branded Huawei E160E USB stick
• an MTN Internet SIM

Technical Specification

Find the technical specifications and some explanation of the USB device, below:

• Network: HSDPA/UMTS (850/1900/2100MHz) & GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz). This means the device can work across most GSM networks, globally.
• Speed: It supports 3.6Mbps HSDPA services. Since MTN offers connectivity over a 3.5G network, users can experience theoretical speeds of up to 3.6Mbps which is very high by today’s best standards.
• Memory: Micro SD Card Slot. It supports up to 4GB storage when a MicroSD card is placed in the included slot and therefore the device can double as a USB storage device.
• Communication: SMS services – users can send and receive text messages through the software bundled with the device. Though the device can support PC voice, the function is not enabled by MTN.
• Support data statistics: The bundled software offers extensive graphical statistics.
• Plug & Play: it works almost as soon as it is connected to a PC or Mac. It requires no seperate CD installation software.
• Cross-platform: Support Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac Operating Systems. From my tests, I also got it to work on an Ubuntu desktop version operating system.

MTN F@stlink software

A screenshot of MTN F@stlink software.

Installing the device was a fast and straight-forward process. The easy-to-use MTN F@stlink (the dialling software) was soon installed.

MTN F@stlink comes with the following features:

• Connection: allows users to connect and disconnect to the Internet
• Statistics: displays real-time statistics whilst the user is connected to the Internet and also includes a daily, monthly and yearly data counter.
• Text: enables the user to send and receive text messages as well as manage existing text messages.
• Phonebook: a simple contact management system that includes the following fields – Name, Mobile Number, Office Number, Home Number, E-mail Address.
• Airtime: enables the user to check existing data balance and as well as load a regular MTN airtime voucher.

MTN Internet SIM

The special SIM card bundled with the MTN “Exclusive 3G pack” had 2 Ghana Cedis airtime preloaded with amounted to 50MB data. Since this was a special SIM, the Internet tariff is lower, compared to the normal MTN SIMs. In order to compare the data tariff with that of Zain, I loaded 30 Ghana Cedis airtime and the total data derived amounted to 1.2GB. 400MB of data was credited each time I loaded a 10 Ghana Cedis airtime voucher. Note that “Zain Lite” Internet package offers only 1GB of data for 30 Ghana cedis.

The MTN Internet SIM is restricted from making or receiving calls by MTN even though it comes with a regular MTN mobile number. Calling the number, one hears the ringing buzz but there is no reaction on the PC nor any notice of a call. One hears an error message when a call attempt is made from the Internet SIM.

I tried the special SIM on a mobile phone and it worked normally with the exception of not taking nor making calls.

Usage

An MTN 3G package. Photo by Oluniyi David Ajao.

I tested the connectivity from McCarthy Hill area in Accra and experienced a signal strength that varied between 95 and 99%, with real download speeds reaching 1.8Mbps. MTN Ghana’s website www.mtn.com.gh loaded the fastest since they host their own website. Real speeds elsewhere might vary according to the time of day (peak or off-peak period), number of people connected to a particular base station, speed of travel (if the user is in motion), and signal strength.

Much of Accra is covered by MTN’s 3.5G network with EDGE filling the gap in patches without 3.5G. Using the service on the outskirts of Accra where only GPRS is available, speeds did not exceed a meagre 5kbps. This implies that MTN Broadband is best used where there is 3.5G network coverage.

According to MTN Ghana’s website:

MTN 3G service is available in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tarkwa, Bogoso, Ho, Koforidua, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Tamale, Sunyani, Kenyasi, Techiman, Obuasi, Bolgatanga, Wa, Prestea, Damine, Ntoroso, Bibiani, Besomtwi, Bekwai, Aflao, Chirano and still counting.

In summary, MTN’s Mobile Broadband service is ideal is for home or small business users who have limited data usage but want to experience the high speed 3.5G technology offers. The entry fees are affordable as are the data tariffs. It is advisable to check if your area has 3.5G coverage before getting on board. You can do so by manually scanning the networks from a 3.5G phone.

MTN offers another device for connectivity, aside the USB stick:

3.5G F@stLink Router
MTN 3.5 G F@stlink router is a 3G cellular modem,which has an embedded wireless hotspot, with four Ethernet ports and a traditional phone jack. It is perfect for home or small offices and allows a user to sharea connection with multiple users. The router may also serve as a modem using the USB slot to provide a single connection to the user.

Did find this review useful or otherwise? Share your thoughts in the comments area.

The venue for Mobile Web East Africa is the 5 star Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi which is situated just across from Uhuru Park.

Following the unrivalled success of Mobile Web Africa, which was a true “sell-out” conference held in South Africa in October, Mobile Web East Africa is the next in a series of progressive and innovative events to focus on one of the most important technological advances of the 21st century.

Again utilising the exceptionally interactive roundtable format, Mobile Web East Africa promises to be one of the leading events of 2010 in Africa. It is through these roundtable interactions, panel discussions and presentations that the future development of the mobile internet, mobile applications and mobile ecosystem in the region will be discussed and mapped.

The only down side of the roundtable format is that it limits the number of attendees that can come – for Mobile Web East Africa the room is limited to just 120 people so to guarantee your place please register early!

THE KEY THEMES @ MOBILE WEB EAST AFRICA

Mobile Web East Africa will focus on a range of topics relating to the core areas in the development of the mobile ecosystem and how the potential of the mobile device can truly be realised.

These are probably easiest illustrated as a range of key questions as opposed to themes:

1. How will the industry evolve to a point where the vast majority of people have access to the mobile web and the content they want to view?
2. How will the industry fully exploit existing and future opportunities?
3. How can PC or mobile based developers and start-ups monetise their innovation and creativity to grow in to companies that will drive the expansion of the ecosystem?
4. How can Operators, Original Equipment Manufacturers, global associations and other mobile powerhouses assist their smaller partners?
5. How can societal and economic problems be tackled by the development of the capabilities of the mobile device?
6. What handsets, standards, networks and designs will allow consumers to successfully access the content and consume it?
7. How will the consumer be able to discover that content – through a Portal, Application, Browser, Search Engine, Advert, Social Network?

Through a series of presentations, extended panel discussions and networking opportunities these questions will be tackled.
You, alongside 120 of the individuals who are leading the development of the sector in East Africa, will make real progress towards discovering the answers.

Visit http://www.mobileeastafrica.com/ for more details.

Glo Mobile is set to launch in Ghana soon

Glo Mobile’s entry into Ghana comes at a time when Ghana’s mobile communications industry appears to be saturated already. For a population of about 22 million people, there are presently five active mobile telecommunications services viz: MTN, Tigo, Zain, Vodafone & Kasapa. Records obtained from the National Communications Authority (NCA) website indicate that the 5 cellular networks share some 14,242,476 subscribers amongst themselves in this order: MTN – 52%; Tigo – 23%; Vodafone – 14%; Zain – 9%; Kasapa – 2%. The existing mobile phone service providers already cover all the geographical locations that matter in Ghana with network coverage reaching virtually every human settlement that has a sizeable population or is of some economic importance.

Glo Mobile thus has a very tall order to make enough impact as to attract a sizeable market-share. Despite the obvious challenge, one is safe to assume that Glo Mobile has a strong strategy that would enable them penetrate the sophisticated and relatively matured market. It helps to add that Glo Mobile has the aim of becoming the largest telecommunications provider in Africa. According to media reports, Glo plans to capture 30% of the current 11 million subscriber market within 18 months of launch. My attempt is thus to forecast their entry strategy based on the mobile revolution Glo Mobile has caused in Nigeria, since 2003.

Branding

Glo Mobile has already made its presence felt in Ghana with several branding efforts since 2007 starting with its support of Ghana’s hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

A Glo-branded bus stop in Accra reading: 'imagine... a day when Ghana is all green'. Photo by Oluniyi David Ajao

In December 2008, Glo Mobile Ghana contracted a five-year sponsorship deal with Ghana’s Premier League until the end of the 2013/14 season. The league has since been known as Glo Premier League.

Glo is a sponsor of Ghana’s senior national football team- the Black Stars and also sponsors the CAF African Player of the Year Award.

Glo Mobile has some banners and billboards at the international airport, as well as other important parts of the capital city Accra.

Internet

The dynamics of mobile phone service has changed globally, over the past few years. Mobile phone networks have now evolved into full telecom service providers with services including telephony, entertainment and internet services. Internet services is where Glo Mobile has the strongest trump card in Ghana. It’s parent company – Globacom – has already launched it fibre optic connectivity’s (Glo-1) landing in Ghana. The cable is expected to carry huge internet bandwidth from Nigeria, through Ghana, to western Europe and vice versa. This automatically gives Glo Mobile Ghana access to unprecedented internet connectivity speeds. The existing fibre servicing Ghana called SAT3 is shared among most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Ghana yet Glo-1 (solely owned by Globacom Ltd) has more than 5 times more capacity than SAT3. I expect Glo Mobile Ghana to maximize the use of the Internet capacity by rolling out a 3.5G network at the very least, and offer juicy internet service bundles. All things being equal, the Internet connectivity speed would exceed the highest capacity of any other current service provider.

Voice

I expect Glo Mobile to offer very competitive voice tariff plans as well as all the value added services possible on a 3.5G network: video calling, voicemail, voice sms, call forwarding, call conference, call divert etc. Phone services offered at the right pricing would attract subscribers to Glo Mobile. One waits to see how Glo can beat Kasapa, in the tariff arena.

Coverage

Network coverage is one area Glo Mobile has reportedly resolved to take the lead in Ghana. Focusing on offering a very wide network coverage can put Glo in a good position to acheiving its ultimate aim. One expects that they would choose the initial towns they cover sensibly, considering that existing networks already cover much of Ghana.

Promotions

One area I expect Glo to explore is offering mouth-watering promotions in a bid to attract new subscribers. The market is already awash with promotions from existing networks offering: cars, houses, cash, mobile phones etc. I expect Glo Mobile to announce promotions that are bigger than existing ones. In this same area, I expect free night calls, free network text messages, and occasional heavy discounts on call tariffs.

Choose your number

Since Glo Mobile would be a new cellular network, one expects that they would auction memorable phone numbers, and allow new subscribers to choose their own phone numbers, based on availability. This also helps to endear those who want to jump ship from other cellular networks or just want an easy-to-remember phone number.

If I am allowed to be selfish, I would expect Glo Mobile to offer a 3.5G network in my residential area considering that none of the existing GSM networks does so.

In summary, I have very high expectations of Glo Mobile Ghana, going by the experience of their parent company in Nigeria and their aggressive drive to be the number player in Africa. Existing success makes their ultimate vision a realistic one.

Apple iPhone 3G S promo image

iPhone here, iPhone there, iPhone everything. Apple’s iPhone, an Internet-connected, multimedia GSM smartphone, has become very popular globally since it was launched in the United States around June 2007. It is now the standard-bearer among keyboard-less smartphones and has inspired several very similar designs from leading mobile phone manufacturers like Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Samsung Instinct etc.

What makes iPhone most appealing to me is the wide variety of available applications that have been designed to run on iPhones. iPhone now seems to be the standard phone for geeks. In addition to the cute looks and exciting user interface, I am curious to use those applications as many of them are only available on iPhone.

The sleek iPhone is not necessarily the best smartphone out there but for iPhone to be the most popular camera on Flickr (a photo-sharing website), Apple Inc must be doing something right. The iPhone is social-media friendly; it includes many features that make it easy to connect to & share content on social media networks in real time.

You would then wonder, why haven’t I got myself an iPhone before now? iPhone’s marketing model is to make the device available through contracts with cellular networks only. The phones are thus locked to the supplying network and cannot be used outside that network. Unfortunately, Apple does not have such a contract with MTN Ghana, Tigo Ghana, Vodafone Ghana, nor Zain Ghana. I am aware that there are a few unlocked iPhones on the mobile phone market in Ghana but I am not willing to take the risk. I have read reports of iPhones going dead after a software upgrade because they were unlocked.

In May 2008, Vodafone announced that it had signed an agreement with Apple Inc to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa (Vodacom) and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network. There lies my hope. I am hoping Vodafone would extend the agreement with Apple, to cover Ghana since Vodafone has a network here in Ghana. An iPhone is the only thing that would hook me to the Vodafone Ghana network.

Should MTN sign an agreement with Apple and supply iPhones in Ghana, then I’d be among the first to sign a contract and grab the ubiquitous iPhone.

A mobile phone connected to a laptop computer. Image courtesy allaboutsymbian.com

Long before mobile phones became popular in Ghana, fixed lines offered by the national operator Vodafone Ghana (then known as Ghana Telecom) and to a limited extent WESTEL, were widespread among businesses, government offices, organizations and private homes of the elite. When Vodafone introduced dial-up internet and later broadband using ADSL technology, it was a natural progression for most to simply continue relying on Vodafone for connectivity. In Ghana today, most still rely on Vodafone despite the wide range of other options. Matter of fact, most ISPs rely on Vodafone for Internet bandwidth. This is because a certain submarine cable (SAT3) offers super-fast Internet connectivity, at very competitive rates, as compared to connectivity via satellite (VSAT). Most ISPs thus find it economical and technically sensible to route their International traffic via the SAT3 system. The downside is that Vodafone retains exclusivity over that submarine cable and therefore any technical problems from Vodafone directly related to that cable affects all ISPs relying on them for international network connectivity. It thus turns out that majority of the populace rely on Vodafone directly and indirectly, for international bandwidth.

Having created this background, I will explain what is happening as I type this. My main means of Internet connectivity has been down for about 24 hours now. My ISP relies on Vodafone for international connectivity. I have reliable information that Vodafone customers are still able to connect to the internet, albeit at very slow speeds. I am thus forced to switch to MTN and Zain. I have always used MTN for connecting to the Internet, when I am away from my base, or on the move. One might then wonder, why not simply switch to MTN permanently? Cost is the deterring factor. Mobile internet is usually expensive, in this part of the world and that pushes it to the background as backup. It plays that role excellently.

At this point, it is necessary to point out that the main cellular operators MTN, Tigo, Zain have their own international gateway for voice and data traffic and as such do not rely on Vodafone. Thus, downtimes from Vodafone do not usually affect the mobile operators and vice versa.

The following factors make mobile networks viable backups for Internet connectivity:

No monthly fees
What makes mobile internet unusable as the main means of Internet connectivity is what makes it perfect as a backup. Their pay-as-you-go model ensures that users only pay when they connect. There are no monthly fees nor connection fees.

Hardware ubiquity
Mobile phones that come embedded with at least GPRS modems are now mainstream. Users thus do not have to invest in additional hardware but simply need to connect their mobile device to their computer, install the necessary connectivity software and they can connect to the Internet within minutes.

Speed

With the right network and equipment, users can achieve speeds that Vodafone cannot offer to end users at this time. MTN and Zain offer theoretical speeds of at least 3.6 Mbits/s since their respective networks use 3.5G (HSDPA) technology in Accra, Tema and Kumasi. In addition to being within 3.5G coverage area, a user needs a 3.5G compatible mobile equipment (handset or data card) to be able to experience the high speed. Where there is no 3.5G coverage, the connection automatically switches to 3G, EDGE or GPRS, in that order. The lower technologies offer much lower speed with GPRS connectivity speed being comparable to the old dial-up system.

3.5G is still relatively new in Ghana, and as such, coverage is still being expanded into other parts of Ghana. Tigo and Vodafone have already contracted their respective network upgrades to their hardware partners.

Be aware

It is important to note that data rates on mobile networks in Ghana are relatively high. It is thus necessary to watch your data usage and limit your use to essential web activities. Also, some of the cellular networks do offer monthly bundled packages in addition to the pay-as-you-go pricing.

MTN office in Osu, Accra

MTN Ghana announced the launch of their 3.5G network in January 2009. I have noticed that their 3.5G coverage in Accra is patchy but even where there is coverage, I have not been able to connect. I search manually for the 3.5G network and select it but get an error message: “Access not allowed”.

Calls to the customer service did not help much and so I headed to their special 3.5G booth in from of their Osu office. A gentleman there told me it was not open to the public yet. When I asked about the public announcement in January, he stated that was only a “soft launch” and access should be open to the public later this week.

Many mobile phones attempt to do everything from simple texting, to GPS navigation but these phones are better at some things than the others thus the need to classify them. Before now, I had used an i-mate JAQ3 Windows 5 powered-smartphone for business, along with a Nokia 3250 XpressMusic for photography and personal entertainment whilst on the move. I have since upgraded to Nokia E71 smartphone along with a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

What makes the E71 tick?

Nokia E71

Many. The Nokia E71 is a serious business phone ground-up. It comes with a full QWERTY keyboard layout and is enclosed in a strong metallic case. My initial disappointment about the E71 not having a touch screen was quickly dwarfed by its intuitive cursor and comfortable keypad. I find the keypad so comfortable that I find myself sending text messages more often. Matter of fact, I typed the entire text for this article on the Nokia E71.

The smartphone comes with QuickOffice. This mobile version of Office suite software allows you to create or open Word documents, PowerPoint Presentations or Excel Worksheets.

It also comes with a built-in mobile email client and you can also opt for Nokia Email software (Blackberry-like) if the in-built email client does not meet all your email needs. You can send new messages via good-old SMS or MMS.

Being a 3.5G phone, you can access the Internet via 3.5G, 3G, EDGE, or GPRS – subject to network availability. You can also make/receive video calls where there is 3G coverage. The Nokia E71 is capable of handling encrypted G-standard wifi networks.

The call quality on this phone is good enough but my problem is that it fails to detect MTN Ghana’s 3.5G network where there is coverage but my Nokia 5800 detects the same network. The standard earpiece leaves much to be desired and I have since abandoned it. I was able to download and install an Internet radio application on the phone and I listen to Indian melodies by connecting to Indian Internet radio stations through wifi.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic keeps you entertained

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

The 5800 is one of the latest in the Nokia XpressMusic series of multimedia devices. XpressMusic is a brand name for series of Nokia phones that are specifically designed for music playback.

True to form, the Nokia 5800 handles music extremely well. It can play digital audio clips encoded in AAC, AU, M4A, MIDI Tones, MP3, MP4, RealAudio, WAV, and WMA among others. It has graphic equalizer, bass boster and stereo widening. It has in-built stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphones connector. This enables you to connect any headphones of your choice. The default earpiece is abridged and this allows me to occasionally carry the phone in my breast pocket and have the pair of earpieces in my ear lopes without some long cable dangling around my neck. The cable can be extended. The extended version comes with a music controller for playing/pausing as well as forward/rewind buttons.

The wide screen of the phone is used judiciously as video playback is always horizontal. I can switch between wide-screen format and the original dimension of the video. The only drawback is that the in-built RealMedia player is unable to handle popular video formats like WMV, MOV and MPEG. It however plays mobile video formats like MP4 and 3GP. I reckon video format conversion is possible via the Nokia Ovi software but I am yet to try that out.

Equipped with Carl Zeiss lens, the 5800′s camera shines in the area of photography. With a 3.2 mega-pixels capability, I couldn’t ask for more from a mobile device. The photo and video quality are on the high side.

The phone’s massive 8GB Micro SD card (upgradeable to 16GB) gives lots of room for storing audio, video, photos, messages and other files. The phone can even be used as a mass storage device when connected to a computer.

Nokia has demonstrated times without number that it deserves the tag of being the market leader in the area of manufacturing mobile phones. The E71 and 5800 XpressMusic are further proof.

Zain Africa CEO Mr Chris Gabriel selling a sim card to a new Zain Ghana customer at the flagship store in Osu on Oxford Street in Accra on the day the 3.5G network was launched. Photo courtesy: Zain.com

I listened to Philip Sowah, the Country Manager of Zain Communications Ghana Limited, being interviewed on Joy FM‘s Super Morning show one morning in the last quarter of 2008. It was at the eve of Zain’s network launch in Ghana. One thing I remember clearly was him saying Zain Ghana has so much network capacity, they are scared in a positive way. I wondered to myself: “What is he talking about? Why this much confidence? Is this a marketing gimmick?“  Zain eventually launched and I bought a Zain SIM card, just to experience Ghana’s first 3.5G network not that I was ready to ditch my MTN that had served me quite well for more than 5 years.

I recently bought a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic – a 3.5G high-capacity multimedia device from Alireta Mobile – and decided to give my Zain SIM a spin with the mind that should it serve me better, it would replace my MTN eventually. I have been blown away in the past few days and thus I feel compelled to document the positive difference I have experienced.

For well over a decade, MTN (hitherto known as Spacefon, then Areeba) has been the market leader in Ghana in terms of running the most sophisticated cellular network, and offering more useful value added services than its competitors. Not anymore. For the first time, MTN has a tougher competitor to contend with.

3.5G network coverage
MTN Ghana scrambled to unleash their 3.5G network on the Ghanaian airwaves after Zain’s loud entry into the telecom market. Zain’s 3.5G network has a wider coverage than that of MTN, in Accra. I have tested the two from Tete Quarshie interchange to McCarthy hill. From McCarthy hill to Osu. Zain even went a step further to publish their 3.5G network coverage on their website and the publication reveals that 3.5G is available in much of Accra and parts of Kumasi (Ghana’s 2nd commercial hub). Whilst at work, I make sure my phone is permanently on 3G network mode so I can experience the superior call quality and make/receive video calls on Zain. Neither of them has a perfect 3.5G coverage but Zain is ahead, from my checks.

Mobile Internet ‘Activation Fee’
Unlike MTN, Zain does not ask for a 5 Ghana Cedi “activation fee” for internet connectivity to be enabled on one’s SIM. Slot your Zain SIM into a capable GPRS/EDGE/3G/3.5G phone and the settings come tumbling in within minutes. Zain even sends you an MMS welcoming you to “A Wonderful World”.

Call cost summary
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I get the total cost of a call I make, after the call is over. A message displays on my phone informing me of the amount deducted from my account for that call and the account balance I have left. Now, that is transperancy at its best. There is nothing like that on MTN.

SMS
I can update my Twitter account via SMS using Zain. MTN could not deliver SMS to the UK mobile number used by Twitter.com
Zain delivered to the same number, in 2 seconds.

I do not have to retry sending SMS multiple times and pray it goes through each time, on Zain. On the other hand, the little tricks I used on MTN are even begining to fail as I have a hard time sending international SMS from MTN.

Still on SMS, Zain has a neat online service called Zain Web2SMS. I can compose and send SMS from Zain’s website with the added convenience of typing on a computer keyboard. It is faster and better for me. Zain bills my prepaid account for each SMS sent. What is more exciting? Zain offers 5 free Zain to Zain SMS daily. MTN hardly ever gives anything for free. Hardly.

MMS
Zain’s MMS really works. I can zap photos and audio to loved ones’ phones or email accounts. MTN’s MMS has been epileptic for months now.

Missed call notification
Whenever my phone is switched off or out of cellular coverage area, I receive SMS notification from Zain when my phone is back online, informing me of the missed calls. I know MTN has been offering the same service for several years but I could not access it because they restricted it to post-paid subscribers only. I had been attracted to MTN’s post-paid offering for so long but I stayed away because of the $1,500 security deposit they required for international roaming. I am fine with prepaid roaming – thank you very much. I would rather leave my money in a fixed deposit account than hand it to MTN if I have no use for it.

Roaming
Talking about roaming, MTN quickly launched their “Seamless Roaming” service some weeks before Zain launched in Ghana. MTN’s Seamless Roaming is a very similar concept to Zain’s One Network. They both allow local subscribers to access the network of other subsidiaries, outside the home network. Example: Zain subscribers in Kenya can roam into the Zain networks in Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Niger without hassles. Traveling subscribers can receive calls/SMS for free, and make calls at the same rate subscribers on the host network pay. MTN’s Seamless Roaming currently works in Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin Republic and Ghana.

Call Divert
You have no idea how useful this service is to me. I can divert calls all my calls unconditionally, or if I am busy, or if I do not answer the calls within a stipulated number of seconds, or if I am out of network coverage area. These settings come with even the most basic GSM phone but MTN has restricted its prepaid subscribers to “Call divert – if out of reach” and even that can only be diverted to their default Voicemail number only. On Zain, there is no single restriction and so I can divert my calls as I deem fit!

Zain Phone number Pre-registration
I was able to search for and book a phone number of my choice, even before the commercial launch. MTN doesn’t offer that convenience.

Over all, I am enjoying the Zain experience so far. What about you? What has been your experience with Zain in Ghana? Share your thoughts by leaving your comments now.

Lagos Island, Nigeria

I had to visit home again after a long time away, in October 2004. I had nothing to worry about. It would be like I was still in my country of residence. Armed with my notebook computer, a VISA debit card, few personal effects, and of course, my good old Nokia 7250i, I set off for Ibadan (south west Nigeria), my beloved home town.

Ghana’s Spacefon Areeba announced on November 15th 2003, west Africa’s first prepaid roaming service. I knew I would use the service sooner than later. I went to thier office at Osu to activate this. Setup was easy. In all, I paid the equivalent of $70. About an hour later, I got a text message: “Dear Subscriber, Your account has been activated. To check the balance of your account PLS dial the balance enquiry number”. I got another message: “Your new balance is 40.00 USD. It is valid until 07-Oct-2005.

I decided to travel to Nigeria by road, to experience how the service would be, crossing from Ghana – Togo – Benin Republic – Nigeria. I travelled by ABC Transport, an executive bus service across west Africa. Whilst in Lome (capital of Togo), my phone was still displaying SPACEFON. This is obviously because Aflao, the border town was just a stone throw away, and Spacefon Areeba has its base stations there. I quickly searched for the available networks. Ghana: GH ONETOUCH, GH SPACE, GH MOBITEL and Togo: Togocell, and one other network. I can’t recollect its name.

We proceeded with the journey. As soon as we moved further from Ghana, my phone soon was displaying Togocell. I smiled. Receiving calls was effortless. The other folks in the bus were surprised that in the middle of nowhere, I could still use my mobile phone. In Benin republic, my phone displayed: BeninCell. I had set my phone on “Automatic network selection”. Consequently, the phone searched for the strongest available network. Since much of the pan-African highway was covered by GSM cellular service, I was in touch, most of the way.

In Benin republic, I decided to call my folks in Nigeria that I was on my way. We soon arrived at the Benin-Nigeria border post. We waited in the bus whilst the bus guide went to process our immigration documents. Soon, I received a text message: ” Y’ello and welcome to Nigeria. For more information on Nigeria, please call 15900 for Directory Services. Do enjoy your stay”. Guess who the sender was? MTN NIGERIA. I chuckled. Needless to say that I selected MTN throughout my short stay in Nigeria. The text message I received was enough reason for me.

We soon drove into Badagry, and towards Lagos mainland. All along the highway, my phone was displaying the names of the base stations as we went by. Names like: Okokomaiko, Badagry-3, readily comes to mind. Well, I’m in Lagos and had to quickly head off for Ibadan, since it was getting late. In Ibadan, same experience. Seamless connectivity.

One great edge I had was, Spacefon Areeba had interconnectivity agreements with three out of the four mobile networks in Nigeria. In a nutshell, I could select VMobile, MTN Nigeria or Glo mobile. Meaning, in places where one network was unavailable, I could easily switch to another network. People on Nigerian networks can’t do this. If you are a VMobile subscriber for example, and you are in a place not covered by VMobile, you were out of touch!

At a glance
I could use any of the three networks: VMobile, Glo mobile, MTN Nigeria.
I could receive text messages sent to my phone number in Ghana.
I could forward all my calls to any phone number in the world. I later bought a Glo mobile prepaid “classic pack” for only N1 and forwarded my calls to the glo line. People in Nigeria could reach me by dialling 0805 224 **** whilst people in Ghana could reach me by simply dialling 024 493 ****. Nothing could be easier.

Downsides
I could not send text messages. I solved this by acqiuring a local mobile line (glo) and forwarded my calls and text messages to it.
Any one trying to reach me within Nigeria would still have to make an International call my dialling my line in Ghana, though I was physically in Nigeria! This is not cost-effective. Same solution. I got a glo mobile line.
I had to pay $2 each time I forwarded my calls to any phone line. I had to do this just once though.

Cost:
Registration: $30
Units: $40
Making calls: $0.50 per 30 seconds
Receiving calls: $0.25 per 30 seconds

In a nutshell, Spacefon Areeba’s HOP service is good if you would be leaving Ghana for a short while. You are only in touch during the life cycle of your credit on SNAP. You are disconnected as soon as your prepaid credit on SNAP expires. On the postpaid package however, you are connected as long as your $1500 deposit as carry you.

I enjoyed the rest of my stay in Nigeria. It was virtually like I never left Ghana, as I was constantly in touch, making and receiving calls as usual.

First Generation of Mobile Telephony (1G)
These basically entails the earliest technology that was deployed with the initial advent of mobile telephony. These include: AMPS and TDMA. 1G was introduced to Africa in the early 1990s and is gradually being phased-out and replaced by 2G technology.

Second Generation of Mobile Telephony (2G)
This was the next phase of development after the 1G mobile technology. Research into the development of 2G technologies started as way back as the early eighties and saw real deployments in 1992. It was developed with the aim of correcting much of the problems that came with the earlier mobile phone systems. It is far more efficient with voice and data transmission and comes with enhanced security. 2G is a digital technology. Mobile networks in Africa mainly deploy well-known systems like GSM (900 / 1800MHz band) and cdmaOne.

Advanced Second Generation Technologies (2.5G)
High data requirements amongst consumers necessitated the improvement of the available technologies. Engineers tried to figure how they could ‘squeeze’ more data (information) through the available mobile network infrastructure. This saw the advent of technologies like GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE, CDMA2000. These improved versions of the 2G systems have brought much more improved functionality, possibilities and real-life applications. Most mobile phone networks in Africa, at time of writing, are still on the plain 2G system of GSM and CDMA. Some though are now aggressively migrating to the higher 2.5G platforms and even 3G! Needless to say that much of the rapid developments are witnessed in South Africa, Egypt and to some extent, Nigeria.

Deployment of 2.5G in Africa
The most common of the 2.5G technology deployment in Africa is GPRS. This is more because of its affordability with deployment. More GPRS-enabled handsets are widely available in many of Africa’s fast growing mobile phone market.
South African networks MTN and Vodacom had launched GPRS by 2002. GPRS has long been available on Egypt’s mobile phone networks Mobinil and Vodafone Egypt (Click GSM).
It is currently still being deployed in Nigeria by the mobile phone networks. Nigeria’s glo mobile took the lead by launching Nigeria’s first GPRS network in August 2004 followed by Mtel in April 2005. Kenya’s Safaricomm followed suit in April 2005.
Other networks are quiet about time of deployment.

Third Generation of Mobile Telephony (3G)
This is the latest form of mobile telephony technology that is currently gaining widespread deployment globally, especially in Europe and the Far East. It was designed to provide the best platform for mobile communication and can support features like Video Telephony, High Speed Internet access (burst speed of 384kbps), real-time audio & video broadcast and more.

Deployment of 3G in Africa
This is still a relatively new technology and as such has witnessed very limited real-time deployment in Africa. The earliest entry into this arena was EMTEL, a mobile phone company based in Mauritius. They launched Africa’s first 3G-capable network in November 2004. Following closely is South Africa’s Vodacom which deployed the first 3G network in South Africa in December 2004. MTN South Africa is also gearing up to launch an EDGE-capable network in early 2005, taking the lead from Spacefon Areeba who announced that they would be launching Africa’s first EDGE-capable network as way back as April 2004.

Fourth Generation of Mobile Telephony (4G)
4G promises High-speed mobile wireless access with a very high data transmission speed, of the same order of magnitude as a local area network connection. It is still under-going development and test are only currently running in Japan. It promises much more possibilities and applications and needless to say that this technology is currently not available anywhere in Africa. You can always check back here for developments as they unfold.

Background

According to Wikipedia, “Roaming is a general term in wireless telecommunications that refers to the extending of connectivity service in a network that is different than the network with which a station is registered. … for cellular phones, when you take your phone to an area where your service provider does not have coverage (eg, another country).”

According to the GSM Association, “Roaming is defined as the ability for a cellular customer to automatically make & receive voice calls, send & receive data, or access other services when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of the home network, by means of using a visited network.”

In this context, we are focusing on International Prepaid Roaming only.

In February 2004, ECOWAS organised a Regional Telecommunications Forum on Roaming and Cross-boarder Connectivity. This was in recognition of the importance of cross border and overall telecommunications connectivity as the key to the economic and social development and integration of the West Africa sub-region.

As way back as 1997, heads-of-state and government of ECOWAS nations, called on cellular phone operators in the sub-region to sign roaming agreements in order to facilitate seamless communications across all the 16 ECOWAS countries.

It appears like things are gradually changing for the better.

Africa’s first Prepaid International Roaming
South Africa’s Vodacom premiered this service with its offering in October 2003. When Vodacom launched the service, their prepaid customers were able to make and receive calls using their existing prepaid SIM cards when they travel to Namibia and roam with mobile phone operator MTC. There were neither deposits nor high accounts that customers had to be worried about which makes prepaid roaming of real benefit in terms of controlled spending.

Vodacom has since expanded its prepaid roaming service to Kenya (via Safaricom), Mozambique and Tanzania. Vodacom prepaid subscribers are able to roam into these countries.

West Africa’s first Prepaid Roaming
Spacefon Areeba unveiled the first prepaid roaming in west Africa in November 15th 2003. It tagged this service HOP.

Glo mobile

Glo Mobile, the GSM subsidiary of Globacom Nigeria Limited has been a great player in the telecom industry since it was launched in 2003.

First came the rather aggressive adverts on all the available media in the country: TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazine and even the Internet. Nigerians were left to wonder what this new entrant could offer. Glo Mobile made promises, to be Nigeria’s best mobile phone operator, to break the hitherto existing duopoly of VMobile Nigeria (then known as Econet Wireless Nigeria) and MTN Nigeria. The promises looked good. One thing was certain, Glo had the financial stamina to ‘walk the talk’.

Nearly two years later, Glo Mobile has completely change the scenerio of the GSM telecom sub-sector in Nigeria, and the story has never been the same again.

First came the adverts that were all rather indigenous. Glo mobile made use of local Nigerian musicians to drive home the point. Notable amongst the musicians were King Sunny Ade and Daddy Showkey. Moreover, Glo’s flagship colour is limish green; this Nigerians could identify with, since the colour of the country’s flag was Green – White – Green. Moreover, Glo made very colourful posters and bill boards with the inscriptions, “Glo with Pride”, “Lets glo with you” etc.

As events unfolded, it became crystal clear to everyone that Glo mobile was in, for real business. Glo launched Nigeria’s most advanced cellular network, a 2.5G (advanced form of 2nd generation phone network that enables a cellular network to offer GPRS and MMS). GPRS was free for Glo’s subscribers for over a month.

No other cellular network has been able to match the wide variety of Value Added Services offered by Glo. None. Their wide variety of value-added-services include: MultiMedia Messaging Service (Glo MMS), Mobile Internet (via GPRS), Magic Plus (an SMS-based service that gives subscribers access to a host of information, commerce and entertainment content), Ringtones & logos, Txt2Email, Email2Txt, Text Messaging, Personalized Voicemail service, Roaming (for both prepaid & postpaid subscribers).

Other services on the glo mobile network include: Calling Line Identification Presentation (CLIP), Call Waiting and Call Hold, Call Forwarding, Call Barring, International Roaming and Conference Call.

Glo Mobile’s main objective appears to be “Building the biggest and best network in Africa”. This is on their website. Little wonder. They have since demonstrated this. As at time of writing, Glo mobile’s network has 3.3 million subscribers, and has coverage in 31 states (out of 36) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, making it the only network in Nigeria to have almost covered the entire country in less than two years. The rapid spread has been adjudged as one of the fastest in Africa.

Glo mobile is currently running a promotion which it tagged “Everyone Is an Instant Winner”. In the current promo, Glo Mobile is giving 15% instant bonus credit for every recharge. Based on its monthly recharge volume, the payout on this promo for Glo may be in the region of N500 million monthly.

The present Glo Mobile offering therefore appears to over-shadow that of any other promotion in the country, particularly in the telecommunication industry.

The Instant winner promo also differs from other promotions because every Glo subscriber is a winner.

Glo Mobile emerged with a strong vision to make a difference in the Nigerian mobile sub-telecom sector. They are doing just that. They have changed the industry for the better. The subscribers now have cause to smile.

Acquiring the service
Spacefon Areeba announced on Joy FM’s Super Morning show, its new GPRS offering and entreated subscribers to register for their on its web site: www.spacefon.com I did so, after two weeks and wait ed…

The online form basically requested for information about the subscriber: Name, Address, Number, Travel destinations within Ghana and Phone model.

After waiting for over a month, I received a phone call from Spacefon Areeba’s head office with a request that I reported at their office the following day. I did. A gentleman at the customer service configured my Nokia 7250i within minutes.

The internet connection was however down, when he finished configuring the phone, and activating the SIM card. The phone kept displaying “Page not found” after several attempts to view WAP pages. He assured me that it would be on again in a few minutes. This turned out to be true as I was soon surfing WAP pages soon after I left the Spacefon Areeba head office.

He also printed out some WAP sites that I could surf, for me. How nice of him.

Requirements
To use the GPRS, the subscriber must have a GPRS-enabled phone. A GPRS PC card can be used if the subscriber intends to connect a laptop computer.
The subscriber’s SIM card has to be activated for GPRS by the service provider. (Spacefon Areeba in this case)

Setting up my laptop

Nokia 7250i

I spent the next couple of days trying to figure out how to connect my laptop to the Internet via this GPRS. My Nokia 7250i comes with Infra-red (Irda) connectivity and so does my sub-notebook computer, Toshiba Portege 3490CT.
Connecting the phone to the laptop via infrared was done in no time as I had read the Nokia’s manual, extensively. I also gathered useful information from internet Web sites I followed the steps below:

1. I downloaded the software for my Nokia 7250i from the Nokia web site: www.nokia.com The software is required, for the phone to be able to act as a modem through which the computer would connect to the Internet.
2. Installed the software on my Toshiba portege 3490CT laptop.
3. Opened Network Connections from the Control panel. I use Windows XP SP1, by the way.
   Under Network Tasks, I clicked on Create a new connection.
   The dialing number (phone number) for Nokia cell phones is *99#
4. After setting up the dial-up connection, I double-clicked on the Connection’s icon and was connected within 15 seconds.

Toshiba Portege 3490CT

The Firefox browser I used worked fine, when I configured the Network connection as “Connected directly to the Internet”.

Availability
The GPRS has been available since then despite outage for a few days into the new year 2005.
It works best from 10PM till 8AM on weekdays and Sundays from 9AM to 12PM when obviously Spacefon Areeba’s network has substantially lower voice traffic. Technically, the amount of voice traffic on a mobile phone network at any given time, affects the quality of service for GPRS. Voice is given priority over data traffic. Thus, using GPRS on a congested network during peak hours is quite an ordeal.

Usability
The service is generally good for normal web browsing. The speed is comparable to that of the conventional dial-up though it can be much faster when the network is not congested. I tested the speed, using a Firefox plug-in I downloaded on Firefox’s web site and the indicator was 20kbps. When downloading, the speed falls substantially to 2kbps. It works fine with MSN Messenger, YAHOO! Messenger, FTP, Outlook Express and all other software that depend on an Internet connection, on my laptop.

Browsing WAP pages on my mobile phone is also seamless but depends on whether the network is congested or not.

Downsides
The service usually becomes very slow or completely off, on weekdays, from 4:30PM to around 9:30PM due to network congestion. Calling around this time on Spacefon Areeba is also hectic.

Summary
The service is good for occasional email and general browsing when you are out and about. Web sites heavy with Flash animations should not be attempted at peak hours, as it could take forever to download. It is not a service for the heavy internet user as billing is likely to be per Mb and could eventually dig a deep hole in your pocket.

A mobile user in Ghana

What can be described as the GSM evolution in Ghana, started essentially as way back as November 1996 with the launch of the first GSM service by Scancom Limited under the brand name of Spacefon, now known as Spacefon Areeba.

It would be important to start this piece by enlightening the reader a bit about the major players in Ghana’s GSM scenario.

MOBITEL

Mobitel, (a service of Milicom Ghana Limited) held sway in Ghana as the premier mobile phone service. It operated an analogue network that was very popular amongst the rich and elite in the society. It was more or less a show of class to own a ‘mobitel’. The brand awareness was so intense that till date, many people still refer to any mobile phone as ‘mobitel’. This was in the early 90′s.

SPACEFON AREEBA

In came Spacefon, with its post-paid package for Ghana’s first GSM service in November 1996 and the rest as they say is history. First was the thrill that came with the new service’s Caller ID (Note that Caller ID is an integral feature of GSM). Spacefon’s service gained more and more popularity by the day. New features like Call Forwarding, Call Holding, International Roaming, Short Messaging Service (SMS) was soon made available to the increasing number of subscribers.

In 1998, Spacefon launched its prepaid service and christened it SNAP. It came with many of the features of a digital mobile phone service, with the convenience of being prepaid. It became more popular, especially amongst the youth population.

ONETOUCH GSM

In the year 2000, Ghana Telecom introduced its GSM service, tagged OneTouch GSM. It however failed to make the necessary impact simply because its starter packs were not readily available. The few in circulation were hoarded and sold as high as 1 million cedis (about $110). Despite the scarcity of OneTouch GSM’s SIM packs, it was still much in demand because it was very easy to connect to OneTouch Lines than any other network and also, it became a ‘status symbol’ since it was only available to the rich, and high-ranking government officials. At this time, it was a big deal to have your mobile phone number start with a ‘020′. (020 is the network access code for subscribers on OneTouch GSM).

Note that at this time, OneTouch GSM’s subscribers were unable access any value added service like SMS, VoiceMail, Call Holding/Forwarding. It was plain voice calls.