DIGITAL AGE
The Transformative Power Of The Internet
By Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi
Mugo ( not his real name ) is a mechanic in downtown Nairobi . He is busy at work . Clients usually bring in familiar models of cars which with his experience he is able to fix quickly and efficiently . However lately he has been receiving newer models . Mugo is not flustered though ! With his technical acumen and his smartphone , he has been able to expand his knowledge in automobile technology to have a better grasp and understanding of new cars , new engines , new parts and techniques to fix cars that are brought to his garage .
On the other end of town in south B , Mutuku ( not his real name ) realized that displaying his furniture on the road side or in a physical photo album meant that he had to wait for walk-in customers . At times it would take up to a month before a customer came in to make an enquiry . By placing his designs on-line on Facebook , he has been able to attract customers who live beyond South B . His business has grown by leaps and bounds . He also leverages the internet for new designs that suit the vast needs of his customers .
This is the power or the internet - it democratizes access to information and knowledge across the world .
There are four key ingredients necessary to catapult the mobile internet adoption in any economy . It ’ s the access to a broadband network , access to a data enabled device , a suitable and affordable proposition for the customer , and a reason to use the internet . The last one resonates well when it aligned to a customers ’ passion ( music , entertainment , faith ) or business . It creates a habit and as a result yields even more benefits .
According to the GSMA report on State of the Mobile Connectivity 2021 , 94 % of the world ’ s population now have access to a broadband network . Beyond coverage , access to a smartphone provides the gateway for a consumer to access the benefits that the internet has to offer . The Communication Authority of Kenya Sector Report of September 2021 , states that mobile phone devices accessing mobile networks stood at 59.0 million , out of which 33.0 million were feature phones and 26.0 million smartphones . This gives a penetration level of feature phones and smartphones of 67.9 % and 53.4 % respectively .
Affordability of smartphones is the biggest hurdle for most customers . With the innovations like Lipa Mdogo Mdogo from Safaricom
“ There are four key ingredients necessary to catapult the mobile internet adoption in any economy . It ’ s the access to a broadband network , access to a data enabled device , a suitable and affordable proposition for the customer , and a reason to use the internet .” where customers can get a Neon Device after paying a deposit of Kshs 500 and a daily payment of Kshs 20 to complete the loan , more Kenyans have been able to access smartphone devices than before . Many other organizations are now in this space to enable customers access devices e . g . M-Kopa , D-Light , etc . This is supported by declining prices of devices in the world , save for the Covid-19 period when supply chain disruptions resulted in low supply / high demand and as a result pressure on pricing .
With onset of the Covid-19 pandemic , the adoption of digital services grew exponentially to levels never imagined before . While in the beginning it reflected the strive to survive , digital services are now seemingly the norm as we navigate this new normal .
Working from home for most organizations was a benefit that was offered by HR . In some organizations it was routine to work from home once a week . However , in most organizations , this benefit was difficult to apply due to the nature of teams working together . Over the last two years , a significant proportion of corporates had part of and in some cases all of their staff working from home . At Safaricom , nearly 4,000 employees worked from home over the last two years .
This shift required a lot of investment in laptops , productivity tools , home connections and the adoption of communication applications like Zoom , Teams , and BlueJeans among others . Eric S Yuan , Founder and Chief Executive
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