true, but you can see the disruption that services like whatsup can do, look at it this way - lets say 4g or 5g comes along and the days of bandwidth being an issue are gone, guys now are using whatsup for messaging instead of sms, and guys are now using video call say via skype and also the likes of whatsup introduce the same.

the prob for telcos is now that the users are independent of them, just like the digital migration did, all one needs is data to communicate doesn't matter where that data is coming from - as for mpesa, its funny that up to now safcom has no api for linking into it, I don't see the guys adapting, but they have dismissed two senior managers so maybe things will change.

There's nothing big with WhatsApp bringing on board their voice service. You still have to be connected to a mobile service provider to access it anyway. Viber has been doing it for a while now, and Skype, Google voice, hangouts have always been there and they haven't disrupted the market. The latest entrant is Snapchat which is driving teenagers crazy.

I was waiting for you to mention internet.org where Facebook and several other companies are partnering to offer internet for free. Its been a year now. Questions are being raised as to why they are offering it to Africa and Asia and not America. There are those who believe that Facebook is killing small businesses such as ISP am yet to see how this impacts the space.

Lets see how Google's Project Loon goes

4G has been available to some countries since 2010. And FYI safcom is the only service provider offering the spectrum which will give them the ability to offer TV services for cheap.

Safcom makes more money from voice and SMS because Kenyans can't just stop calling and texting Remember we have very peculiar habits, so don't look at trends elsewhere and think they can be extrapolated in every scenario. PS. Am not saying that this is constant...but I think Safcom is adapting to the changes just as it should..

My point is, the new technology is different 4g has no support for the traditional telephony voice calls - and actually even in the countries that have high adoption of 4g, voice calls or phone plans still exists so I am not counting on trends elsewhere to support my view. Actually my theory is 'mbichi' .

With technology moving to data, and the same being availed in abundance the telcos as we know them today will fade away and in will come independent providers for messaging and voice communication, its slowly gaining ground that's why I give the same 10 years.

Hapo sawa, mimi sielewi hi mambo ya IT - lakini I know there will always be a work around whether its switching back and forth between 2g/3g and 4g depending on voice or data, or just moving voice to ip.
But my point is, technology is moving away from that circuit thing into this packet thing and the packet thing brings with it freedom and ends reliance on a sim number or telephone number as the pivot point for communication.

Interesting, Indians don't want to be cheated
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32349480

Have also been thinking about this Facebook digital currency Libra and think we in the developing world might reap the benefits only when we totally go digital which is not in the next 10 yrs maybe, where most transactions are digital no physical money and the death of mpesa-agents maybe.

Digital currencies like bitcoin and ethereum are not as easily exchanged locally or getting a business that would take them is also a challenge hence not being very popular and very few people know what they really are. One of the issues with it begin decentralized is if you lose your pass-code it bye bye johnny to your wallet as opposed to you walking into your bank and asking for a reset. But they work.

Mpesa is not really a digital currency as the two, it's only a conduit an intermediary between you and the goods and services that you want, that's the beauty you don't have to carry cash, downside is you always paying much more for the same goods. By the way, why is there a maximum daily transaction amount?

Mpesa is just ripe for disruption but unfortunately Libra is not it yet. What we all need is a way to access our money 24/7 without any charges or maybe a low monthly charge fixed rate that then enables me to send money using an app / [short code service in case not smart phone] not bound to any telco where i get my internet connection from.

Pesalink is an idea in this direction but only for those who do have bank accounts though the service is not as smooth. Do you like the idea of linking directly to your main bank account or other dummy account for withdrawals and deposits? Think it is brilliant

So back to wanjiku the unbanked, a virtual bank or there whatsapp account?