Word: phoning
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...fever usually seen only when a Mega Millions lottery jackpot creeps past the $100 million range. In the aftermath of the country's violent political spasm, the mania was perceived as a sure bet on prosperity: the initial public offering of East Africa's most profitable company, the mobile phone service provider Safaricom...
There is real reason for excitement. Much to the surprise of technology analysts, Africa is the fastest-growing mobile phone market on the planet and Safaricom has profited handsomely by catering to customers who don't have a lot to spend. In 2007, the company's pre-tax profit was $370 million, making it what was believed to be the most successful company in the continent outside South Africa. The more stunning figure is its subscriber base - which grew from less than 20,000 in 2000 to about 10 million today, upending the conventional wisdom that sub-Saharan Africans, especially...
...very least, Kenyans know what they are betting on. Thanks to a proliferation of cheap handsets and pay-as-you-go services, it seems that practically every Kenyan has a mobile phone, and most who do are Safaricom customers. The company has made its buck by thinking small, allowing Kenyans to buy airtime in increments as little as 20 Kenyan shillings - about $0.30. It has found success by focusing on ways that even the simplest mobile phones can change people's lives. Airtime credit can be traded as currency and Safaricom also has a feature, called M-Pesa ("pesa...
...dark side of corporate efficiency and cost savings is the consumers' stress, frustration, anger and wasted time spent attempting to resolve a problem. The interminable wait for a phone representative, the incomprehensible English from India or the Philippines and an unsatisfactory conclusion are all beyond endurance. Bernard Sussman, LONGBOAT...
...innovation. The tournament uses manual, not electronic, scoreboards, while simultaneously running a website offering up-to-the-second updates. Sandwiches at the venue cost no more than $2.50, even as tickets swap hands for hundreds outside the gates. Spectators are kicked off the property if caught using a cell phone, even though buried under the course's fairways are thousands of feet of high-definition television cable, irrigation pipes wired to an on-site weather radar, and automatic suction systems designed to remove surface water from the greens...