Ministry:
 MCST (MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
Department Name:
 DTPS (DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND POSTAL SERVICES)
For DIT and Media click against the texts
Discussion Points:
Many people in the capital, Gaborone, have mobile phones, but they
often don’t have ten pula (roughly $1.60 in U.S. dollars) to purchase
airtime for outgoing calls (the money is typically spent meeting basic
daily needs (by the females) and otherwise used by the males on
essentials (and trappings that could enhance one's looks by both
sexes) and often the rest at water-holes (an escape from reality – and
boosting a perceived sense of lowered self-esteem)
In seeing usage of ICT growth (emails, websites (content), chatting), it
could attract greater levels of  population, diversity and economic
opportunities growing – leading to economies of scale for IT industries
making economic opportunities more viable in the country (this
translating to individuals better able to afford the ten pula for airtime).
Insights from
KSLs:
 Frames:
  • Placing the Service Provider’s needs above needs of the individual user
    (citizen). This includes the need for watching the bottom-line (costs of
    running the system) once the money starts rolling!  This tends to create
    a knee-jerk reaction that leaves us with little appreciation of the deeper
    appreciation of the forces within which the service provider operates.

Blind spots (forces we operate with):
  • Use of mobile/telephone services by gender: When DTPS or relevant
    authority is seen as listening to the needs of the (both the male and
    female (and elderly - see below)) citizens' needs, and learning ways to
    meet those needs (Law #9), the more likely is air-time purchases likely
    to grow.  The communication needs of the two genders could vary.  
    Right now it may even be assumed the needs are similar.  Though
    typically men are more likely to be using the airtime for quick calls to
    their 'boys' and to check up on their women.  Women however tend to
    use the air-time to connect more personally with the caller. This could
    mean the female gender's need to buy air-time could potentially be
    higher.  On the other hand, the male may perceive that their female
    partners with mobile access would impinge on and curtail their freedom
    and perceive the female having lesser access to airtime would work to
    one's advantage.  These issues may remain as undiscussables.  What
    may be things unrelated to telecommunications can have significant
    impact on the industry.
  • Use of mobile services by the elderly: When the ‘old man with trunks
    of money under his bed’ hears from his son/grandson ‘what trouble’ is
    the hand phone / phones are (that there are no troubles), he might
    become willing to invest in such devises.
  • When citizens sees that using mobile connections allow them to improve
    their capacity to earn higher levels of income, the willingness to invest
    in mobile phone usage grows (the reverse is also true!).
  • Connecting Botswana (or disconnecting wives or girlfriends?).  It is a
    double-edged sword!


INTERVENTION (what we are not paying attention to and therefore need more
attention): One’s willingness to engage another layer of media in interactions
with another rather than needing to have face-to-face interactions, is a
function of several factors, including distance, cost of the communication but
perhaps most importantly the levels to which one enjoys a level of trust with
other individuals that could withstand the anonymity which layers of media
such as IT and ICT inherently creates.  This is dependent on:
  • Enjoying a level of quality of life that leads one to begin to appreciate
    an emotional quality of relations with another individual that among
    other things include experiencing joy by the interaction and not  
    perceived for its physical (object) gain only.
  • The more such joys are experienced the greater becomes the levels of
    trust between the individuals the more becomes one’s willingness to use
    IT as a media of interaction (website, emails, chats, etc.) leading to
    learning from each other.  The reverse is also true.
  • The longevity of the media is fueled by individual's willingness to learn
    and explore unchartered waters, a quest for knowledge and
    appreciating that an ICT platform would facilitate the above happening
    by connecting the individual to the network of people around the world.  
    This quest grows over the lifetime of the individual.