Five years back, the number of mobile phones was insignificant. They were owned by a few, and if not mistaken, mostly by the working class. No one would ever think that the penetration would come this far, apart from those in the telecom business.

The development of the mobile communications market has surpassed all expectations. Today, mobile phones are owned by all walks of Rwandans. It’s like nobody leaves the house without their mobile phone, keys and wallet.

The mobile phone is now a part of many a Rwandan’s livelihood. It has definitely made life a lot easier. Gone are the days when one had to travel without appointment. This used to result in embarrassment in case one bounced.

Nowadays, all one has to do is call first to know whether the person will be available. Other forms of communication here include SMS-ing, beeping and internet surfing.

You can also use your mobile phone as a flash light to locate a key hole, play games or even use it as a watch if not a stop watch.

However, despite its numerous good attributes, a mobile phone can also be regarded as a source of agony in equal measure.

A mobile phone can be a great money consumer. In an attempt to take advantage of cheap rates in one network or other, you’ll find some having more than one handset, or more commonly, multiple SIM cards.

The service provider maybe the most expensive, partly because it knows consumers can do little about it. We can complain, but switching networks is a lot of work in terms of letting 500 plus people in your phonebook know your new number.

Sometimes yours is a business line and you would not want to lose customers just because you changed numbers. However, thanks to the growing competition, the charge rates are now getting more competitive.

Mobile phones could have large advantages for businesses, but are much less effective without a landline number to back them up.

If a customer sees a mobile phone number as the only source of contact, then most will automatically assume that the business is small and has no office or resources.

If a customer speaks to employees that have a landline number and a mobile number, it gives the impression that the business is large and established.

A mobile phone allows you to be accessible at all times, wherever you are. It can help improve communication between staff and customers, particularly business to business customers that may involve travelling. But this allows too many unwanted calls of those trying to contact you outside of business hours.

In relationships, the mobile phone maybe a catalyst, to develop affection between two lover birds or to bring it down. Many relationships have collapsed due to wars fuelled by the mobile phone. That’s why it is advised to keep off your spouse’s mobile phone.

However, regardless of the occasional hiccups, mobile phones play a great role in enhancing economic aspects. As the adage goes, time is money, one saves a lot of time by doing business on phone.

It’s no wonder that the government of Rwanda is targeting as many of its people as possible owning these gadgets. It will then be up to the owner to exercise a lot of discipline to avoid excesses in expenditure.

Ends