3G Mobile Broadband In Africa | 5 Reasons Why YouShould Forget 4G LTE

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New is always more exciting, more glamorous, and often more attractive.

But in the case of 4G LTE African mobile networks, it's not always attainable.

So let's take a step back and look at what we already have in abundance: 3G mobile broadband inAfrica!

As a mobile phone distributor in Africa, it's your goal to sell as many phones as possible and makesome profit.

That's only going to happen if you're catering for the masses, and with 4G LTE's high costs, andsporadic coverage, this is not the network that's going to appeal to many of your clients.

What's The Answer?

The network that your clients are looking for is already well-established all over Africa.

3G mobile broadband.

Keep reading as we explore 5 reasons why 3G mobile broadband in Africa is all your clients need rightnow...

What Is Wrong With 4G LTE?

Nothing is wrong with 4G LTE as a service in Africa other than it is just too new to rely upon as being adesirable option for phone distributors.

In fact, out of the 54 African countries, only 20 currently have 4G LTE networks (although this ischanging rapidly), and out of those countries it's often only major cities that have coverage.

For instance, in Kenya, one of the Africa mobile industry's leaders, phone users can only use 4G LTE inMombasa and Nairobi. This pattern is followed in other countries too, with access limited to Accra andTena in Ghana, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and Luanda in Angola.

What we don't always consider when drooling over the newest technology is that new is usually alsoexpensive, and the cost of new technical innovations has long been a thorn in Africa's side, leaving itlagging behind the rest of the developed world in some ways, mainly caused by cost, remoteness ofenvironments, and lack of infrastructure.

According to Simon Lee a Nairobi-based ICT analyst:

"Adoption rates among individuals will be largely determined by cost...and as long as itremains a pre-paid service the cost of up- or downloading large amounts of data –however speedy the process – will be prohibitive for most. Until prices fall, takeup islikely to be fairly limited." (Source: ZDNet)

In time no doubt 4G LTE will become as commonplace in Africa as it is in much of the rest of the world,however for now let's focus on the network that most of your customers will get the greatest benefitfrom.

5 Reasons Why 3G Broadband In Africa Is Still King

1. 3G Is Available All Over Africa

Whereas 4G is characterised by its scarcity, 3G has been available almost everywhere in Africa since2011. Recent innovations have even allowed rural areas, notoriously remote and lacking ininfrastructure, to enjoy 3G mobile broadband by satellite!

2. 3G Is A Life-Changing Improvement Over 2G

The majority of African phone users are still using feature phones.

While 2G feature phones offer benefits to users in terms of allowing them to connect with friends andfamily via SMS or voice calls, 3G offers African phone users the ability to benefit from mobilebroadband internet for the first time!

This is a very profound benefit that cannot be compared to the difference between 3 and 4G, whichoffers the same service but faster.

No doubt 4G is better, but the ability to have internet as opposed to not is far more important a benefit.

3. 3G Smartphones Are Affordable

Unlocked Android smartphones are finally reaching price points which make them affordable to a greatmany African phone users. This is totally opposite to 4G devices, where affordable handsets are stillsome months away for most manufacturers.

You can buy a 4G Apple iPhone 5s here in 2015 at around US$400; that's still a vast sum for the vastmajority of African phone users.

On the other hand, many Chinese mobile phone manufacturers are already offering very affordable 3GAndroid smartphones at as little as only US$50!

Here is why affordable smartphones in Africa are causing rising internet usage in Africa !

4. 3G Offers Better Battery Life

4G LTE phones sap battery power, and in a continent where electrification is limited to populated andbuilt-up areas, having a more economical phone could be the difference between staying connectedand being left in the dark.

Since most Africans live in areas with no 4G LTE, it makes perfect sense that African mobile phonedistributors shouldn't focus on offering the newest handsets, no matter how glamorous it may look tohave them.

Simply put: Sell the phones that people need!

5. 3G Still Offers Loads Of Great Benefits

The average African phone users not only have access to local 3G African mobile networks, but canalso afford 3G smartphones!

Let's not forget that by using 3G, users can:

Enjoy data transmission speeds up to 80 times faster than 2G (2G being under 50,000 bits persecond, and 3G offering more than 4 Million)

Watch mobile TV

Use GPS, such as maps for navigation

Make video calls

Share video and photos quickly

Surf the internet anytime, and stay online all of the time

Access mobile banking services and other apps

Those are pretty major differences over basic feature phones, and must be mentioned to African phoneusers as great reasons to upgrade to a smartphone!

We now know that there are so many compelling reasons for African phone distributors to focus on 3Gmobile broadband in Africa. If your customers want affordable 3G smartphones, where do you find areputable Chinese smartphone manufacturer who can supply you with great smartphones that are idealfor Africa?

AMGOO Telecom can help!

Click below to get in touch with is and learn how we cooperate with African phone distributors to offeryour phones that your customers will love and which you can make profit from!