Mobile Data Special – Africa's Mobile Users Soon to Go Text-Mad

Africa’s mobile operators have been so busy making money from rolling out voice services that anything else must have seemed like a distraction. Some like Celtel have dabbled with the idea of running their own ISPs but without much success. Many have even been indifferent to SMS revenues which have grown rapidly elsewhere. But in the next three years most companies will be reaching the edge of viable voice markets and will start to look for new ways to add revenues to a static or slow-growing subscriber base.