Mobile Phone usage in Uganda has come a long way. In the 1990s, owning a mobile phone was more of a sign of prestige, since very few people could afford to own and use mobile phones. Owning a mobile phone meant that one had to deal with paying the high monthly subscription fees, which has since been scrapped with increased competition. To be honest, mobile phone subscribers have never been ripped off, like they were at the time when competition wasn't stiff. Figures from Uganda Communications Commissions show that there has been an enormous growth in telecommunications subscriber base over the years. The Telecommunications sector is so far one of the most competitive in the country thus far.
The continued growth in the Telecommunications sector has also seen the introduction of new services, as industry players fight to get an edge over their competitors. In the past, subscribers were mainly using the Voice Service, which in one way or another has been affected by the introduction of other means of communication like Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook among others. One of the new services that has been so convenient for the subscribers is the Mobile Money platform, which enables users to send and receive money using their mobile phones.
All seemed to be going well until the industry was also penetrated with many Mobile Phone brands. For an industry so robust like telecommunications, challenges in controlling the quality of mobile phones imported into the country begun to manifest. With so many complaints over fake mobile phones on the market, Uganda Communications Commission came up with guidelines on how consumers can detect phones that were not genuine. However, the phones just keep flowing into the country every other day.
The Chinese finally identify opportunities, a fresh market with desire for cheap products. Over the years, there has been an influx of Chinese mobile phones into the Ugandan market, slowly side lining the original Nokia phones that had dominated the market. My first personal experience with a Chinese mobile phone was that of love-hate. First, the phone produced music as loud as that of an outdoor Music speaker, which was impressive since I like music. Secondly, it could access the internet, had a camera, well life was good. Just a few months after purchase, the phone begun to freeze. My little darling started to play hide and seek with me. It nagged me to a point that I had to throw it against a wall(Just kidding, who could?). This kind of experience has not been exclusive to me alone, many other people have expressed the same. These complaints keep growing as time passes by. However, with he growing complaints, people still buy these Chinese mobile phones because of affordability. Who wouldn't want a cheap touch screen that has dual sims? Who wouldn't want a cheap smart phone that has a Radio? I certainly cannot answer these questions but the Chinese are here to stay.
The continued growth in the Telecommunications sector has also seen the introduction of new services, as industry players fight to get an edge over their competitors. In the past, subscribers were mainly using the Voice Service, which in one way or another has been affected by the introduction of other means of communication like Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook among others. One of the new services that has been so convenient for the subscribers is the Mobile Money platform, which enables users to send and receive money using their mobile phones.
All seemed to be going well until the industry was also penetrated with many Mobile Phone brands. For an industry so robust like telecommunications, challenges in controlling the quality of mobile phones imported into the country begun to manifest. With so many complaints over fake mobile phones on the market, Uganda Communications Commission came up with guidelines on how consumers can detect phones that were not genuine. However, the phones just keep flowing into the country every other day.
The Chinese finally identify opportunities, a fresh market with desire for cheap products. Over the years, there has been an influx of Chinese mobile phones into the Ugandan market, slowly side lining the original Nokia phones that had dominated the market. My first personal experience with a Chinese mobile phone was that of love-hate. First, the phone produced music as loud as that of an outdoor Music speaker, which was impressive since I like music. Secondly, it could access the internet, had a camera, well life was good. Just a few months after purchase, the phone begun to freeze. My little darling started to play hide and seek with me. It nagged me to a point that I had to throw it against a wall(Just kidding, who could?). This kind of experience has not been exclusive to me alone, many other people have expressed the same. These complaints keep growing as time passes by. However, with he growing complaints, people still buy these Chinese mobile phones because of affordability. Who wouldn't want a cheap touch screen that has dual sims? Who wouldn't want a cheap smart phone that has a Radio? I certainly cannot answer these questions but the Chinese are here to stay.
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