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View Full Version : Uganda takes payphone to masses by motorbike



Bob
9th March 2006, 01:22
In an attempt to make telecommunications more widely available, MTN Uganda has unveiled the publiCom Quad Bike, which features a payphone mounted on a four-wheel vehicle.

MTN Chief Executive Officer, Francois du Plessis said "People require communication that is accessible and this is achieved with the publiCom Quad Bike.”

The bike is mainly aimed at operating in the under served upcountry regions in Uganda.

Brian d marge
9th March 2006, 03:45
Sorry Bob but how do u use this payphone ?? Do I ring the payphone operator and ask it to come to my house ? or does it have a mister wippy type tune and we rush out to make a call??

and what happens if the other end is engaged ?? to I run after the bike to place another call??

how about 911 calls ?? help help my house is on fire , I hope the mobile phone comes past today !?

What about my wife who has been known to stay on the phone without food or water for days on end??

The poor guy would run out of gasoline !

Stephen

Bob
9th March 2006, 22:44
As a guess, you'd have X number of vehicles covering an area, so you would get a regular visit. And I'd also imagine you pay Y amount for which you get a fixed call time.

As for emergencies - the moral is, don't live in a remote part of Uganda!

I can't recall where (but Indonesia or somewhere like that springs to mind), but one country came up with a similar scheme to widen internet access. They had a Wi-Fi hub set up to a motorcycle... which then rode through (again, I assume on a "set day/time" basis) the region. So it would pick up emails and store them on the hub. So the rider went back to the control centre, sent them and then would download items to be sent back... and ride back through so everyone picked up their downloads from the hub!

When you read stuff like this, you realise how easy we have it regarding our telecoms needs.