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Mobile operator MTN has teamed up with entrepreneurs in the South African province of Gauteng to provide high-speed wireless Internet access to ‘Internet cafes’ in townships lacking affordable fixed-line connections. The pilot project, which uses MTN’s 3G network to connect 10 sites to the Internet, is part of a GSM Association Development Fund programme to adapt the latest mobile technologies to the needs of the developing world.

MTN is using the cutting edge 3G technology HSDPA to provide a high-speed connection to a local entrepreneur’s payphone shop in the Alexandra township near central Johannesburg - one of the first ‘Internet cafes’ in the world to use HSDPA. People renting time on the computers situated in the booth will be able to access the Internet at speeds of up to 1.8 megabits per second. The other nine sites are connected to the Internet via an EDGE network, allowing download speeds at about 120 kilobits per second.

The early rollout of high speed Internet services by South African mobile operators demonstrates that technologies, such as HSDPA, are not solely the preserve of affluent developed countries and that mobile networks can bring far more thant voice and text services to people in developing countries. To help accelerate uptake of 3G in both the developing world and the developed world, the GSMA recently launched a ‘3G for all’ programme designed to make 3G services and handsets more affordable.

“This ground-breaking MTN project highlights the great potential of mobile networks to provide high-speed Internet access to the many parts of the developing world that lack extensive fixed-line telephone networks,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade association for mobile operators. “We are hopeful that this kind of shared access service can be replicated throughout the developing world, allowing millions of people to exchange email and browse the wealth of information on the Internet for the first time. By using mobile networks to offer fast Internet access, South African operators are blazing a trail for the rest of Africa to follow,” added Conway.

Branded MTN@ccess, the MTN pilot service is supported by the GSMA’s Development Fund, which finances pilot projects that exploit mobile technologies to bring social and economic benefits to the developing world. Users of MTN@ccess connect to the Internet via an MTN portal - http://www.mtnaccess.co.za - featuring direct links to recruitment services, email services, universities, government departments and many more useful Web sites. The MTN pilot is scheduled to run for six months and could be a precursor to a much wider rollout of shared Internet access services across South Africa using HSDPA and EDGE.

The GSMA’s Development Fund is also supporting a similar shared Internet access pilot in Bangladesh, which uses EDGE technology, and shared voice pilots in several African and Asian countries. These projects could lead to large-scale rollouts that have the potential to transform millions of people’s lives by giving them access to information and communications technologies for the first time. For example, a telephone call, email or Internet search could save people from making long journeys to contact relatives, search for employment or find out which market is offering the best prices for their crops.