Lower-cost handsets help drive Africa’s Internet revolution

The battle among the world’s largest tech and telecoms groups to connect Africans has intensified in the past year, with drones and blimps brought in to provide the first sight of the Internet for many in the region.

The vast scale of the continent makes generalisation difficult. The more tech-savvy smartphone users in southern Africa are a very different proposition from those in areas in central Africa where infrastructure remains rudimentary. In such areas, technology takes on different roles as companies navigate challenges from political revolution to Ebola scares -- from educator and healthcare provider to bank and business partner. But the opportunities are still clear for many of the world’s biggest companies in Africa. The key attraction remains the rapidly growing population, according to Marc Rennard, executive vice-president of Orange and head of African operations across more than 20 countries and 106 million customers.