Beeping - A new style of African art on the market!

I have just read both an interesting and amusing article on the "African art of beeping". Apparently, when mobile phone users in Africa are low on credit or more likely low on cash, they resort to "beeping" or "flashing" someone and then hanging up before they answer so hopefully the person receiving the call will call them back. The article states that 30 per cent of the calls are just split second flashes. The mobile companies are being swamped by these split second calls and are busting their brain cells trying to figure out how they can make some money out of this.

Oh, I do feel sorry for these companies! Africa has become one of the fastest growing markets for mobile phones and pre-paid accounts dominate the market. Did it not occur to mobile operators when they unleashed those "I can't do without" items on these poor people, that this would be a possibility? In their greed to make money, I think not.

Do you know, just lately I have been getting lots of missed calls on my mobile phone from people I know. I used to think it was the rubbish network that I am on. However, now I know what the real problem is and none of them live in Africa!