SA’s Digital Net is Widening
Date:
9 Nov 2010 The advent of low-cost mobile data services, coupled with the growing affordability of smartphones, is bringing about a demographic shift in the South African online world.
That’s the word from Diane Charton, managing director at Acceleration Media. She says that the Internet penetration in South Africa is rapidly reaching lower LSM bands as well as the middle-class and rich South Africans that traditionally formed the country’s population of Internet users.
“Over the past two years, the costs of mobile data services have fallen dramatically, with affordable data bundles available even to prepaid users,” says Charton. “And high-speed data network coverage has reached most parts of urban South Africa and even more remote regions. We’re seeing a growing pool of South Africans using data services from their smartphones as a result.”
Charton points to the success of publications targeting lower LSM bands – such as Die Son and Soccer-Laduma. These publications have enjoyed much success with the launch of their .mobi portals as evidence of the way that the ‘Net is expanding its reach in South Africa.
In addition, recent research points to the growing use of the Internet by a wider population. For example, one study by World Wide Worx found that 8.5 million of South Africa’s urban cellular users have phones capable of accessing email and that as many as 9.5-million can browse the web on their phones.
This grows the country’s pool of Internet users significantly. The research indicates that 28% of the urban cellular market uses mobile instant messaging (IM), demonstrating that people are actually using their devices to access richer data services.
The implications for South African society are profound, says Charton. People have far easier access to information wherever they are and the ability to quickly disseminate information of their own using platforms such as social media tools.
“In an environment where there is talk of media tribunals and protection of information bills, information will be able to travel freely thanks to tools such as Twitter or Facebook, which are very popular with mobile Internet users,” notes Charton. “More people will have a voice and the ability to participate in the media landscape.”
Against this backdrop, communications and advertising professionals need to be evaluating the way that their target markets are using the Internet and rich mobile services to enhance their lives, says Charton. Certain digital platforms might be a compelling way to reach consumers that were once best accessed through traditional means, she adds.
“The trend is towards a more inclusive web in South Africa, one that is accessible to a wider part of the population,” she concludes. “This trend is promising for users who have been isolated from content before, and just as important for advertisers who have a new way to reach these markets.”
