Africa currently has a population of 1.12 billion but this is expected to rise to nearer 4 billion before the close of this century. According to a report by Unicef, this means that four in ten of the world’s population will be African.
The GSMA has said that that, by 2020, there will be 500 million mobile phone users on the continent and that it already has more than half the world’s mobile money services.
Mobile money has experienced a boom in Africa over the last 12 months, prompting the likes of PayPal and Western Union to arrange deals with M-Pesa. MTN and Orange have also announced a combined venture involving a mobile wallet that will work across the networks.
Do these figures make Africa a mobile-only continent and are they the only ones heading in this direction?
Mobiles Are Becoming A Habit
Part of the reason for mobiles becoming a habit in our lives is because of the number of businesses that have developed apps. These make accessing websites so much easier than finding them through a search engine on a desktop computer. Businesses have embraced mobile technology by developing these apps, and even large stores such as Wish, Walmart, Target and Macy’s are among the ones you can buy from on your mobile device. All the social media platforms have apps, as do banks and other financial institutions.
If you want to play games you will find apps for them all, which you can download from the app store that matches the type of mobile device you are using. If instead, you want to play in an online casino, CasinoCruise is among the ones that have embraced mobile technology and developed an app. With up to £200 and 200 free spins as a sign-up bonus, it can be a great way to sample mobile gaming with casino games you’re already familiar with.
What To Expect From Mobiles Of The Future
From the outside, mobile phones might not seem to have changed much since they were first introduced. They might be different sizes and a bit sleeker but it is on the inside that all the changes have been taking place. A mobile phone of today will do a great deal more than one from 10 years ago, and this is why they are being used more as part of our every day lives.
What else can be done to phones to take them even further into a world that cannot do without them? According to Mobile Business Insights, we can expect smartphones to start to recognize its user so that we can forget about passwords, and users can expect to start receiving a more personalized experience. Virtual and augmented reality will mean that you can place a piece of furniture in your home to get the effect before you buy.
It also says that phone makers are looking into different battery types, as the current ones are the biggest cause of complaint for most users. Kinetic energy, for example, would mean that your mobile device would charge every time it is moved and would do away with the need for a battery charger.
As long as the developers keep producing better phones, people will always want to change their existing one for an updated version. They are basically handheld computers, and their use will continue to grow and far surpass the use of desktop and fixed computers.
