Phone credit low? Africans go for 'beeping'

Mobile operators look for ways to deal with user trend of hanging up after a second, signaling the richer recipient to call back.

The story "Phone credit low? Africans go for 'beeping'" published September 26, 2007 at 7:32 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[BLHayes]

Not just in Africa

In the US truck drivers and others did this to communicate to dispatchers before mobile phones existed at the right price point for them. They would dial the dispatch number and use ring counts to communicate information.<br /><br />Telcos charge users for seconds, users will work to mine connection attempts for data transfer. Frankly if I ran the telcos I'd make SMS very inexpensive. It should be just enough so that the poorest don't swamp the network with, say, continuous time reporting. <br /><br />Remember, AC Clarke told the telcos that phone charges should be distance independent back in the 50s. Now the goal should be to encourage use up to a reasonable level leaving capacity for those willing to pay for a higher level of performance. This would uplift the poorest among us while ensuring that paying customers have capacity on demand. Isn't that what a "common carrier" should do?

[keal77]

If someone flashes and the flasher returns the call

If someone flashes and the flasher returns the call, then it isnt true that the phone companies are not making money. Maybe they are not as much in control of who makes the money but some phone company still makes money and it probably all comes around.

[mozmac]

Mandar Bip (Beep)

This happened to me all the time when I lived in Mozambique from 2003-2005. People knew that I was an American and that I had plenty of minutes on my phone, so they always would "mandar bip" to me. That's the slang Portuguese version of the phrase in Mozambique.