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This essay discusses three examples from Africa, of user-led practice innovations which have emerged in an environment of economic scarcity and poor telecommunications, particularly landline, infrastructure. As more users from the developing world purchase their first handsets, their emerging social practices and conventions of mobile use may become as popular and relatively pervasive as any practices developed elsewhere. The author, in a discussion of these cases, points out that the next great contribution of global mobile culture could potentially be from sub-Saharan Africa.

Key observations from the examples:

• Public mobile phones set up by micro-entrepreneurs provide livelihoods and bring mobile coverage to more remote areas.

• Beeping, flashing and missed calls- all extremely popular in Africa- reflect existing cultural and social structures as well as reinforce and reshape them.

• Mobile phone –based health information systems serve important functions, for example, HIV-prevention messages via SMS in Kenya or TB drug compliance in South Africa.

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