‘Aim for lower end’
"The cost of the personal computer is still more expensive than the average South African can afford. However, the mobile phone is at the point where it has mass market appeal and can offer rich services at a lower income level," said Ahonen.
Ahonen identified mobile as the seventh form of available media after established forms such as print, television, radio and the Internet.
"We already know how to make money in print and the other six, but mobile is really only five years old," he said, adding that this meant there were many lessons which still needed to be learnt.
But while mobile was a relatively new technology, he said the benefits were huge because of the application.
"It is the first ‘all carried media’," said Ahonen, referring to the fact that all available media on the phone was carried with a person throughout the day, as opposed to current media.
"It is always on … people even sleep with their cellphones on. It is a personal form of mass media and it can be used as a payment channel, you can virtually bill for content as you want it and as it happens," he said.
Another area that local entrepreneurs can exploit , Ahonen said, was that of the digital community.
"This is where the big opportunities lie If you look at markets where there is an Internet culture, mobile penetration will not work as well as in those which have low Internet usage, such as South Africa."
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