Africa’s new mobile device users will be different from past users — they’ll be poorer, younger, less educated and unlikely to have access to fixed broadband, says Vicky Myburgh, head of entertainment and media at professional services company PricewaterhouseCoopers, ITweb reports.

Many African consumers will use their mobile devices not primarily for communicating, but for entertainment, accessing information or transferring money.

A good example is in South Africa, where large portions of the population can’t afford a computer with a fixed broadband connection, and mobile presents a cheaper, more accessible alternative, she said.

Young, rural and upwardly mobile consumers will increasingly use their mobile devices to find jobs and new partners. Small businesses will depend increasingly on mobile to conduct business.

“Low-cost devices will be essential if the full suite of consumer needs is to be met in some of the world’s poorest and middle-class countries,” Myburgh said. “The desire for a smartphone will drive the low-end, cheap devices market.”

The quality of the customer experience will change from concerns about network
congestion and coverage to concerns about Internet speed and the relevance of services,  ITweb reports.

This will impact mobile gaming, which is forecast to be the biggest driver of video games growth in South Africa.

“Africa’s economy as a whole will benefit from an increase in mobile penetration,” Myburgh said. “The World Economic Forum’s Global IT report for 2013 suggests a 10 percent increase in mobile penetration can lead to a 1 percent rise in low- to medium-income (countries’) economies.”

The underlying journey is from mass media to “my media,” Myburgh said. Companies that succeed will be the ones with the speed, flexibility and insight to engage and monetize an ever more diverse consumer base by delivering personalized, relevant and, ultimately, indispensable content experiences.