After 20 years of cellphone services, our fascination finally cools

The local mobile phone market is reaching saturation
The local mobile phone market is reaching saturation

On the 20th anniversary of the arrival of mobile phone services in Botswana, the telecomms regulator has released numbers showing that cellphone subscriptions are declining for the first time ever. Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI reports

Natural churn, a term one would not unreasonably expect to be associated with dairy manufacturing, is responsible for recent statistics showing declining numbers of cellphone subscribers in Botswana. In most other countries, these numbers would be unremarkable, given the normal ebb and flow of the business cycle and the numerous variables that influence subscription figures, including wage growth, tariff levels and others.

Botswana is different.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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