African Renaissance

Synopsis: Jay Naidoo, Minister for Communications in the new South African Government of National Unity, has a vision: every household will have a postal, telephone and Internet address. In a country where the end of apartheid found a third of the 30m black people destitute, this is a revolutionary vision, but the revolution may be coming in the shape of the mobile phone. With poverty still the enemy, the South African government has promoted the concept of the phoneshop. Airtime is purchased instead of the instruments and shipping containers are adapted to become digital phone containers. These subsidised phones are shipped into townships and are made accessible to local people. They are funded by two mobile phone companies in return for exclusive rights on mobile phone sales. It is an uncertain future but, with visionaries like Jay Naidoo, they are in with a chance.
Series: Digital Communications, Course T305
Language: English
Medium: Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 30 min.
Year of production: 1999
Availability: Sale; 1999 sale: £145.00 (+VAT +p&p)
Subjects: Information technology
Keywords: digital telecommunications; mobile phones; South Africa

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