Telecommunication industry has come a long way. A long time ago, Africans used to rely on smoke signals, messengers and sounds of trumpets/horns for communication. Not everyone was allowed to blow the horns. It required 'an expert' who could produce different sounds. Different sounds relayed different information.
When the colonizers arrived in Africa, they brought with them the concept of education. People learned how to read and write and that is how modes of communication changed to letter writing. Post offices were erected in every town and major trading centers.
Telephone booths
The advancement in technology saw the introduction of booths where people would go to make phone calls. Those telephones were literally connected with wires which ran parallel with electric wires. All you need to make a call was a few coins and the number you wanted to call.
Brick and Candy Bar phones
From booths, people graduated to brick and candy bar phones. These included the gadgets that were used by police officers and senior government officials to communicate. Examples include, “Walkie-talkies.” Their network could cover a specific radius. Some could be used to send text messages. These brick and candy bar phones were common in the 1990s.
Feature phones
Feature phones were introduced in 2002. They were mobile but they had small screens. Some had internet features but their processing speeds were too low. You could not multitask with feature phones.
Smartphones
Smartphones came in the Kenyan market around 2008. There are two types of smartphones. Smartphones with keypads and smartphones with the touchscreen. Touchscreen smartphones are the latest in the market. Unlike a feature phone, you can multitask with a smartphone. You can open many tabs at the same time. Smartphones have high processing speed and excellent internet features. Another characteristic of a touchscreen smartphone is that it has a big screen.