The growth that is taking place in the telecommunication industry in Africa and Nigeria in particular, in the short period when mobile communications started, is tremendous. Nigerian telecommunications is the largest and fastest growing in Africa and can favorably compete globally in terms of growth rate. With unified licenses, service providers have the ability to diversify their services.
Need for a corresponding growth in Mobile Technology
As rapid growth in the sector has been established, there has to be a corresponding growth in the technology that will drive it. Whether the existing technology now is enough is the problem that must be analyzed, but it is very necessary that we move forward and improve what we have now, the quality of service offered to consumers must be high and the price correct.
With the second generation technology (2G) already in use, it allows data transfer only at a speed of 14.4 kbps, with voice and SMS transmission at the same speed. We’ve also seen the use of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) which makes it possible for mobile devices to always connect to networks at the speed of dial-up Internet access. What makes it possible to access the Internet with our mobile phones and also send multimedia messages (MMS). It has also changed the way GSM phones are used today.
The future is Media
The technology evolving today is such that it will enable rich multimedia experiences, allowing users to download videos, make video calls, download content from the web, send picture messages, make voice calls, send SMS and other services that are already in use. All this has to be transmitted at a higher speed than we have now. The technology is the highly publicized third generation (3G) mobile technology. This allows data transmission at a higher speed, say 2mbps.
Are we there yet?
From what I see globally, 3G technology is a development process that does not need to be rushed, this service started to be widely used in Europe in 2004 and I still don’t think it has been fully implemented there. I find it hard to accept what some service providers are saying here, who already have their networks running on 3G. I see that it is not true because customers should at least experience better quality of service and faster speed of basic applications like web browsing, content download, email, etc. in what they offer, this to me is the early stage of 3G. You may agree with me that such services are not yet in place, so why all the fuss? Service providers must consider these factors; quality of service provided, scope of service, prices and quality of coverage in a 3G network. There must also be adequate infrastructure.
3G, when fully implemented, is sure to change the way we use our GSM phones and enhance our mobile lifestyle in Nigeria. Having said all that, the future is really bright and promising for us. With the huge investments being made in the sector, 2007 could be the start of this evolution for us. The future of mobile communication is 3G!