The Mobile Movement

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The Mobile Movement Dylan G Delgado Loyola Marymount University

Rationale and Significance

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For the longest time, Africa had been no!n for their lac of digital ca"abilities, !hether it be internet usage or mobile "hone usage or things of that nature# There had al!ays been that very clear and very evident ga" bet!een those countries !ho !ere considered to be $technologically advanced% and countries, li e those !ithin the continent of Africa, !hich !ere considered $technologically bac !ards#% Those days of a clear cut ga" bet!een the t!o is beginning to disa""ear, and disa""ear &uic ly# 'hile internet usage remains an issue !ithin Africa, mobile "hone usage and the telecommunications industry !ithin the continent of Africa has s yroc et to levels never thought "ossible# (n )outh Africa s"ecifically, the amount of mobile "hone usage has reached a total of a""ro*imately 2+ million users ,-utton, 2.11/# (n Africa as a !hole, evidence sho!s that more Africans have access to mobile "hones than clean drin ing !ater ,-utton, 2.11/# )ince 2..., mobile "hone usage has soared, increasing by roughly 0.1 in total usage by adults in 2ust ten years# As for today, e*"erts estimate that usage is at a""ro*imately 324351 of adults# 6ot only that, but the country of )outh Africa actually ran s !ithin the to" five in mobile "hone usage in the entire !orld, even above the Unites )tates ,-utton, 2.11/# 7ecause of this ra"id rise in both mobile "hone usage and technological relevancy, it is im"erative that the rise to fame of )outh Africa, and Africa as a !hole, via mobile "hones, be observed# As the need for mobile "hones and mobile "lans become more and more evident !ithin the continent, telecommunication com"anies, es"ecially those based in )outh Africa, have become cornerstones of African advancement# 8ne com"any in "articular, MT6 )outh Africa, the center"iece of the greater MT6 Grou", has seen great success and e*"onential gro!th during this so called $mobile revolution#%

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'ith great "o!er comes great res"onsibility# MT6 )outh Africa and their &uic rise to "o!er has given them "lenty of influence not only over the country of )outh Africa, !here their head&uarters are stationed, but all throughout Africa# 'ith their massive influence over the continent and the telecommunications industry, ho! do the actions and decisions of this telecommunications "o!erhouse effect the continent as a !hole and the country in !hich they are stationed: 6ot only that, but ho! do these actions effect the ne! found global media relevancy the continent has been so longing for: These &uestions are the cornerstone of my study due to the im"lications that the "ositive or negative actions have not only on the telecommunications mar et in Africa, but the im"lications those actions have on Africa;s "lace as a global media "layer# 7ecause of this, it is vital to study ho! this com"any o"erates as !ell as ho! the ma eu" of an entire region is de"endent on their decisions# Literature Review and Theoretical Relevance MT6 )outh Africa $About Us% !rite u" on the MT6 )outh Africa !ebsite e*"lained the self4image and ideal re"utation they !ant to "ortray to the consumers as !ell as those loo ing at the com"any from an outside "ers"ective# According to this section, MT6 )outh Africa, the center of the entire MT6 Grou" o"erations, !as created in 1++< and $boast over 152 million subscribers across its com"any% ,$About mtn south,% 2..3/# MT6 also claims to be at the forefront of innovation, saying that the com"any $!as the first com"any to "ioneer the "re4"aid "lan% ,$About mtn south,% 2..3/# The institution of the "re4"aid "lan combined !ith the large subscriber count directly correlates !ith the idea of hegemony# MT6 )outh Africa, building u"on the foundation laid out by $'esterni=ed% countries, ta es advantage of a continent craving for technological e&uality and media relevance#

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The 6ielson 'ire "rovided valuable statistics and information regarding the boom in the telecommunications industry as !ell as MT6;s "art in the grand scheme of it all# According to -utton ,2.11/, $mobile "hone usage has increased from 101 of adults in 2... to 0>1 in 2.1.#% -utton ,2.11/ later goes on to say that a""ro*imately 2+ million "eo"le in )outh Africa alone use mobile "hones# $)outh Africa ran s 5th in the !orld in mobile "hone usage !hile the United )tates ran s 0th% ,-utton, 2.11/# 'ith )outh Africa becoming the cornerstone of African telecommunications, they have become the $)hining ?ity on a -ill,% one of the main conce"ts behind moderni=ation theory# Due MT6;s core "resence in @ohannesburg, )outh Africa has become $bridge to a !ider !orld% for the rest continent# 7eing the "ioneers of the "re4"aid "lan, this article e*"lains the !ays in !hich MT6 dominated the mar et using this "re4"aid "lan and ho! they used )outh Africa in their $bi e !heel% style a""roach# This structural im"erialist outloo elevates )outh Africa to a "osition of "o!er over neighboring countries, mainly due to MT6;s steadfast location in the country# The current "osition of the com"any !as found in multi"le sources# (n an article about the mobile revolution in 6igeria, 8badare ,2..>/ discusses the continuous struggle it has !ith MT6 )outh Africa;s &uality of service in the country# -e discusses ho! "oor the "roduct MT6 )outh Africa "ut out and ho! they !ere "rotested against by the "eo"le# Although being "rotested, the "rotestors eventually give in, reali=ing their de"endence on the "roduct as !ell as the com"any# Angland ,2.12/ also tal s about the MT6 influence in his article, this time in (ran# This incident has brought negative lighting to!ards the com"any, yet through savvy !ord "lay and mani"ulation, MT6 !as able to divert all negative "ress from themselves and "lace the blame else!here# Angland ,2.12/ also goes on to say that the trouble MT6 faces in (ran does not solely effect (ran and their community, but the community of )outh Africa, the home base of the

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entire MT6 o"erations# As the article "rogresses, Angland ,2.12/ goes on to say that the reason MT6 is able to get a!ay !ith this is because of the de"endence they have fostered in their consumers# These actions relate directly to the de"endency theory# This is a reality due to the fact that because MT6 has fostered such a de"endence, consumers are !illing to remain silent in order to continue to receive the "roduct# 8badare ,2..>/ sho!ed the rough beginnings of the telecommunications industry !hen he said that only about t!o "ercent of the "o"ulation had access to landlines, !hile the other +3 "ercent had insufficient funds to ac&uire such technology all "rior to the year 2...# -utton ,2.11/ ta es off from there, discussing the incor"oration of mobile "hone technology beginning in the year 2... and ho! it ra"idly increased over the ne*t ten years# 6o!, according to -utton ,2.11/, )outh Africa ran s fifth in mobile "hone usage all the !hile continuing to shorten the digital divide and becoming more of a global media "layer as each year "asses# 'hile this e*"losion of mobile "hone technology and usage has drastically im"roved forms of communications throughout the continent, greatly made "ossible by MT6, the large range of MT6 subscribers over the entire continent has both negatively and "ositively effected the "ublic s"here in Africa#

Methods 'ith the im"lications of the actions of MT6 being the center"iece of this study, ( began my research by attem"ting to discover !hat this com"any claims to be about# ( !ent onto their !ebsite first to see ho! they "erceive themselves as a com"any as !ell the image that they are trying to "ortray to the consumers# Their "ersonal reflection as a com"any seemed to focus more

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on their outstanding influence rather that the service &uality and the overall &uality of their "roduct# At the same time, they also s"ent a great deal of the !rite u" sho!ing their s"onsored team in their country and hardly any time on their goals and visions# 8nce the initial im"ression of the com"any !as com"leted, ( turned my focus to!ards the effect that the mobile advancement had on the continent !ith the intention of learning the about the initial s"ringboard that vaulted MT6 to !hat it is today# 'ith this information, ( !as able to use that as a launch "ad of my o!n to see ho! MT6 ca"itali=ed on the mobile revolution and used it to gro! and e*"and their com"any# After learning about the mobile revolution that !as consuming Africa and learning about ho! MT6 ca"itali=ed on the o""ortunity, it !as finally time to shift the focus to!ards the heart of the study, the actions of the MT6 Grou"# ( believed that before ( could see ho! their actions effected the landsca"e of Africa and ho! it continues to effect it, ( needed to learn about significant actions this com"any has done# There !ere t!o main actions that had a great effect on both their center of o"erations, @ohannesburg in )outh Africa, as !ell as the areas in !hich the actions too "lace# These actions !ere very recent and very significant in terms of continental ramifications# 8nce ( !as able to get as much information as ( could find, ( "roceeded to investigate the current standing of the com"any# My idea behind this !as to see ho! the actions in !hich ( had 2ust discovered had effected the re"utation and o"erations of the com"any# This !as the most significant area of research because my research !as de"endent on the overall conse&uences the com"any faced# Then, it !as time to see the conse&uences these actions had on the global media standing of Africa as a !hole# ( loo ed into ho! the continent !as before MT6 burst onto the scene and

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then ho! the continent is no! after the actions had already been documented# From here ( !ould be able to see the effect that MT6 had and continues to have on the continent of Africa# Lastly, ( !ent through all of the main theories, loo ing to see if ( could find any correlation bet!een the actions and conse&uences of the MT6 Grou" and the ma2or theories studied over the "ast three and a half months# This "roved to be a valuable tool, as ( found many correlations bet!een "rominent theories and the actions of this ma2or telecommunications "layer# Analysis The MT6 Grou", in theory, has coverage that encom"asses the entire continent of Africa# 'ith MT6 stations strategically "ositioned in 1> countries throughout Africa, MT6 has "laced itself in the "erfect "laces for ma*imum influential control# (n a country so hungry to be $2ust li e the big boys,% a com"any !ith the ideas and strategies of a $'esterni=ed% com"any, also no!n as ca"italism, are bound to find great deals of success# 'ith their $innovative% "re4"aid "lan, MT6 used their savvy !estern intellect, combined !ith a des"erate consumer base, to boost revenue and e*"loit un no!ing consumers !hile still loo ing li e the technological $ night in shining armor#% MT6 "erfectly utili=ed hegemonic ideals to !in the hearts of consumers !ithout much resistance# Using the conce"t of $becoming technologically e&ual% and $becoming relevant again,% consumers became enamored by the fancy "re4"aid "lans, high4tech "hones, and ne! found "ersonal freedom that only a "o!erful telecommunications com"any could "rovide# -o!ever, !hile a $'esterni=ed% com"any can, and in this case did, "rovide the tools to $level the global media "laying field,% they can also use those same tools to mani"ulate the minds of consumers, thus giving said com"anies unimaginable "o!er, even more than the government in the regions in !hich they o"erate# A hegemonic outloo states that to be

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successful, one must gain authority and "o!er $!ith the consent of the governed#% This !as not hard to find in Africa# (n the 8badare ,2..>/ article, he articulates the struggles and e*"loitations MT6 had done, yet "eo"le !ere !illing to turn a blind eye, after a very !ea "rotest, to maintain this internali=ed idea of technological e&uality# 'ith this ty"e of "o!er, any com"any, es"ecially one as strong as MT6, !ould be able to "ush the boundaries li e a ca"italist !ithout fear of "unishment# They have !on the love of their consumer and, according to ?homs y, that is all you need to act freely# MT6;s "rime location, in the heart of @ohannesburg, has "roven to be e*tremely beneficial for both themselves and )outh Africa as a community# As if this country !as not already miles ahead of all its African counter"arts in terms of being $'esterni=ed,% the strategic "lacement of !hat has become one of the most influential com"anies in not only Africa, but the !orld, has created a divide !ithin the continent# 'ith this se"aration e*tremely evident, MT6 sa! this as an o""ortunity to e*"and# Using the conce"t of the $)hining ?ity on a -ill,% a to" do!n flo! of information tactic used in moderni=ation theory, MT6 &uic ly elevated the )outh African telecommunications stoc # This conce"t e*"resses the moderni=ation of lesser develo"ed countries through the use of media, !hich in this case are mobile "hones# 6ot only did )outh Africa become a $bridge% to other 'estern countries, it became the bridge other African countries used to cross over to 2oin the big leagues# This idea of the bridge also sho!s ho! the MT6 Grou" used a structural im"erialist a""roach to gain "o!er and influence over countries in Africa !here MT6 is not directly stationed# At first glance, this idea of the $bi e !heel,% or core s"ea ing to core4"eri"hery and subse&uently core4"eri"hery to "eri"hery, does not seem all too bad# -aving one head information distributer, !ho has e*"erienced a great deal of success, seems li e it could benefit

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all "arties involved# This a""roach, ho!ever, is tainted !hen ca"italistic, money driven, mani"ulative cores, in this case MT6, run the sho!# MT6 uses their standing in )outh Africa to get their agenda out to the rest of the continent# (f a core4"eri"hery does not com"ly, a "unishment considered to be incredibly detrimental, in this case they loss of "rivileges to their mobile "hones, occurs# Thus, MT6 and com"anies a""lying this same "rinci"le else!here, have the "o!er to essentially do as they "lease# Mass influence and savvy business tactics !ould all be for nothing if there is no demand for the "roduct# That is common business sense# MT6 no!s all about creating a demand and, furthermore, ho! to foster a de"endence out of that demand# (n fact, if there !ere ever a need to "ut a face on de"endency theory, MT6 !ould be the obvious choice# De"endency theory is !hen a large com"any, such as MT6, dominates the landsca"e of lesser develo" countries via the media# (n this case, it translates to MT6;s domination of the telecommunications mar et, thus becoming the lead choice for that mar et# MT6;s "erfect use of de"endence theory is truly something to be marveled# From a sheer business "ers"ective, they have created a model that most com"anies around the globe !ould die for# The fact that they have fostered such a de"endence on their "roduct, !hile still being able to mani"ulate the consumers is astounding# From a humanities "ers"ective, ho!ever, it is com"letely out of control, li e a train !ithout bra es# 7ecause they have fostered such a de"endence, as stated earlier, "eo"le are so afraid of losing their mobile "hones or not being able to afford them that they are !illing to "ur"osefully blind themselves from troublesome acts that are detrimental to the African community as a !hole# The current dilemma in (ran involving MT6 is a "erfect e*am"le# MT6 is currently being sued for mal"ractice regarding the com"etition regarding (ran;s final mobile "hone license#

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Accused of bribery, "romising to s!ay the vote in an u"coming election, and "romising illegal defense e&ui"ment, MT6 has been able to continue to "ros"er in (ran !hile this seven year and counting long trial ta es its course# This decision has harmed the economy of (ran as !ell as the "eo"le of )outh Africa !hile (ran attributes $+1 of MT6;s overall revenue as of 2.11% ,Angland, 2.12/# 'hile this is going on and amidst their obvious malicious acts, MT6 continues to "ros"er !hile the consumers continue to eat u" the multitude of lies and false narratives "rovided by MT6# 'hile most li ely guilty, it is obvious that communication and mani"ulation continue to be readily acce"ted tactics# The "ublic s"here is centered on t!o thingsB communication and rational discussion# The MT6 Grou", and other telecommunication com"anies, have enabled, through the use of mobile "hones, the ability for the "eo"le of Africa to communicate !ith each other more than ever before# 'ith this ne! found, readily available source of communication, a "ublic s"here is formed# The heavy MT6 influence across the continent creates not only the "otential for even more technological advancement, it also creates a net!or in !hich Africa can become connected, thus, in theory, leading to advancement# 'hile communication and connectivity are vital in the "ublic s"here, so is rational discourse# The "ublic s"here cannot function unless both are utili=ed "ro"erly# 'ith MT6;s mass influence, the communication and connectivity as"ect is not an issue !ith roughly 3.1 of adults in Africa using mobile tele"hones today# The issue that surfaces isB ho! can rational discourse be achieved !hen everyone has the same thing: 6o! obviously not everyone has the same "rovider and "hone, but MT6 garners a vast ma2ority of the telecommunications mar et, and !hen one com"any has that much "o!er and influence over a mar et, it is very difficult for o""osing arguments to surface# (n this sense, the si=e, "o!er, and intimidation of the MT6 Grou" acts as a

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censor for those !ho do not agree !ith others; vie!s, thus ruining any chance and a successful and functioning "ublic s"here# Conclusion 'hile they still have a !ays to go, the incor"oration of mobile "hones has given the continent the foundation it needs to build u"on in the u"coming years# The MT6 Grou" has brought some recognition bac to a nation in des"erate need of some technological stability# MT6 has done !onders for )outh Africa and the rest of the continent, li e bringing )outh Africa into the to" five in mobile "hone usage# The !ays in !hich they !ent about obtaining this current status, ho!ever, have been rather harmful and detrimental to the overall !ell4being of the continent# Culing by fear, mani"ulation, and e*"loitation have not "roven successful in the "ast# That is !hy the idea of telecommunication com"anies and their "ractices needs to be studied even further# 6ot only that, but the conse&uences of those actions and their effects on Africa as a community and as a global media "layer must also be studied more in de"th in the future# 'ith this information, !e !ill be able to enhance the current state in !hich the MT6 Grou" has left it# in# Although very fla!ed, Africa is !ell on its !ay to!ards becoming a big "layer in the global media game#

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7ibliogra"hy About mtn south africa# ,2..3/# Cetrieved from htt"DEE!!!#mtn#co#=aEAboutMT6EFagesEMT6)A#as"* 8badare, A# ,2..>/# Flaying "olitics !ith the mobile "hone in nigeriaD ?ivil society, big business G the state# Review of African Political Economy, 33,1.0/, +94111# Cetrieved from htt"DEE.4 !!!#tandfonline#com#linus#lmu#eduEdoiE"dfE1.#1.3.E.9.5>9<.>..>019<. Angland, A# ,2.12, @une 5/# Mtn is south africa corru tion robe# Cetrieved from htt"DEE!!!#ft#comEintlEcmsEsE2+<.1+5a4af1d411e14a<e.4 ..1<<feabdc.,AuthorisedHfalse#html: IiIlocationHhtt"DEE!!!#ft#comEcmsEsE.E2+<.1+5a4af1d411e14a<e.4 ..1<<feabdc.#htmlGIiIrefererH

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-utton, @# ,2.11, )e"tember 9./# Mobile hones dominate in south africa# Cetrieved from htt"DEEblog#nielsen#comEnielsen!ireEglobalEmobile4"hones4dominate4in4south4 africaE