Popularity of smartphones in Africa

Africa maybe perceived by some as underdeveloped when it comes to technology but there is incredible growth in the use of smartphones especially in countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. This is because of the versatility and portability of the mobile devices.

Mobile phones are generally affordable for most people and users can usually access the internet quite easily and the number of smartphone connections across the continent has grown at an impressive rate over the last few years. The use of smartphones has also allowed Africans to largely skip the use landlines.

These trends have encouraged telecom companies to develop new products and services in order to compete effectively in the marketplace. Growth is promising as there now more than 500 million people using mobile phone services in the continent.

Sending text messages and taking pictures or videos for social media, education or business are some of the most popular uses of smartphones. Other uses include mobile banking, consuming news whether it is political or just gossip.

Mobile-related services are increasingly becoming important to Africa's GDP and one of the trends seeing an increase is mobile gaming, which is becoming one of the fastest growing ways of gambling. This is because players to feel and be safe when playing online and it is easier to disperse education so that when users are choosing an online casino, they will know what they need to look out for.

Casino apps that thoroughly test and review online casinos help customers to ensure is that a website is licensed and regulated as this show that gambling laws are being followed and that a governing body oversees them. It can also mean that personal and financial information is well protected. Through the apps or online subscription there are also opportunities to win quick cash prizes.

As for social media, this is one of the most popular uses of smart phones. Facebook, with Whatsapp, and Google dominate the playing field. Lithuanian mobile social platform called Eskimi offers some competition in certain parts of Africa.

Africans are leading what may be the next global trend, which is a major shift to mobile Internet use, with social media as its main drivers than fixed Internet use. This has also led to a seamless move towards mobile money, which has become a vital tool for millions of Africans who use their phones to pay utility bills, settle loans or help out friends in need.