Free-Market Telecom

BEHOLD..., the wonders of the free market! The Bokononist girlfriend, Carrie, who is currently serving with the Peace Corps in Zambia, recently bought a cell phone on her latest trip through the capital city. Although the coverage area is limited to major cities and towns (and thus of no use while she is in her village outpost, Matonchi), the phone is a worthwhile purchase. She paid $80.00 USD for the phone and will receive perpetual service (or at least until the company folds...). Now she can receive calls and never pay another cent for its use. As you can imagine, the land-lines in Zambia are very erratic and quite scarce unless you are in one of few major cities. Cell phones, on the other hand, are virtually everywhere. Being a country roughly the size of Texas with very few accessible roads, the logistics of equipping the corners of the country with phone lines has always been an impossibility. However, cellular technology has enabled the country (as with many other poor African nations) to simply technologically skip the need to establish wire-based systems. On my recent trip to southern and east Africa, I was amazed to see "cell phone rental booths" in many of the towns and cities. As for Zambia, wireless technology combined with the absence of regulation is revolutionizing this extraordinarily poor nation.

It seems like some continentals are even willing to risk death for their beloved phones.