Monday 21st of September 2009 - 86193 views
Lagos -
At about 8 in the evening at Tafawa Balewa Square, a worker is still able to make a call or buy units for his phone at one of the thousands of “business centres†on the streets of Lagos. The average revenue per user (ARPU), or the amount the telecoms companies earn from subscribers, is about $55 per month. Other sub-Saharan countries average $25 per month, and in a country such as China the average is $10 per month. The high cost, huge number of users, low competition levels, and of course the huge network of vendors such as this one, all explain why ARPU in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world.
Two of P.A.P.A.’s themes overlap here, the “hidden forces†of the telecoms industry, and the economics of the street. Nigerians appreciate the benefits of the telecoms boom, but mobile phone users do not receive the same lower call rates, customer service, and other benefits such as free minutes or text messages that users in other countries with lower ARPU’s enjoy. By 2010, 1 in 4 African mobile phone users will be a Nigerian, and people like the men at this “business centre†will continue trying to make a living of sorts, serving as a link in the chain of the telecoms companies huge success.
Folarin Shasanya –
Lagos Lab
photo’s from the same project
photo’s from the same author