MOBILE PHONES

Mobile phones boom in Tanzania

By Simon Hancock - BBC Click Online.

We visit Tanzania where mobile phones are taking the country by storm, although only one in 10 houses has electricity . Mobile signals work in the most surprising places across Tanzania.An alien landing in Tanzania could be forgiven for thinking that the only business here was the mobile phone. Over the last few years they have completely taken over the landscape. Some 97% of Tanzanians say they can access a mobile phone, and what is just as interesting, as in many African countries, is how those phones are being used.
Take the island of Zanzibar for example. Here, fishing is one of the mainstays of the economy, supplying restaurants and hotels with fish for the many tourists who visit the island. Many fishermen now carry mobile phones while they are at sea, and they use them to check market prices. If there are too many fish in Zanzibar, they sail to Dar es Salaam to get better prices to make more money. Phones also serve another even more vital use, allowing fishermen in trouble to call for assistance.