Ant hill phone booth
A couple of months ago there was a great article in the local paper that Soyapi saved for me. It was about an anthill in Chiduli - which is a village somewhere in Malawi. Chiduli lies in a flat wide valley, which unfortunately places it out of reach for cell phone signals. Out of reach except for one particular place - an anthill!
I wish that I would've saved the full article because it was full of interesting bits of information, but I think you can tell how the story goes from here. Basically, if you needed to make a call, you just go up on the anthill. But what do you do when you are expecting a call?
Apparently you just find a branch that fits your phone and leave it there. I love that someone put an entire purse up there - I guess that makes it easier to hang.
Cellphone coverage in Malawi is actually quite good even in rural areas. There is so much potential waiting to happen. The other day as I was going to work, I heard a Nokia startup tone coming from the garage. Sure enough, George our gardener has his own phone. I got his number, and asked him if he could show Alice our somewhat grandmotherly housekeeper how to use the new phone we just purchased for the house. He laughed and informed me that Alice already has her own phone - no training sessions required!
I am really excited to see the potential of mobile phones take hold in Malawi. Surrounding countries are already beginning to move towards a cashless society thanks to cellphone banking...let the leapfrogging begin!
I wish that I would've saved the full article because it was full of interesting bits of information, but I think you can tell how the story goes from here. Basically, if you needed to make a call, you just go up on the anthill. But what do you do when you are expecting a call?
Apparently you just find a branch that fits your phone and leave it there. I love that someone put an entire purse up there - I guess that makes it easier to hang.
Cellphone coverage in Malawi is actually quite good even in rural areas. There is so much potential waiting to happen. The other day as I was going to work, I heard a Nokia startup tone coming from the garage. Sure enough, George our gardener has his own phone. I got his number, and asked him if he could show Alice our somewhat grandmotherly housekeeper how to use the new phone we just purchased for the house. He laughed and informed me that Alice already has her own phone - no training sessions required!
I am really excited to see the potential of mobile phones take hold in Malawi. Surrounding countries are already beginning to move towards a cashless society thanks to cellphone banking...let the leapfrogging begin!
