Internet Cafés facing extinction?

The advent of mobile broadband has brought with it convenience for the web browser yet the new technology appears to be causing headaches to the internet cafes as traffic is going down leading to cafes broadening their services.

One would question: will they die fighting, just fade away or will they change their business model and become more proactive in retaining clients and achieving new markets?

As the phone booth is dead and buried, Zimbabwe is highly unlikely to see a phone booth in the near future just like the call centres that had mushroomed all over town back in the day before every 58 people in a 100 could own a mobile phone.

The fact that mobile penetration has breached the 50 percentage mark leaves a bad taste in the mouth of internet café owners as some entered the market, put up desktops and just took a backseat.

The time has certainly arrived for them to go back to the drawing board in order to come up with plans that counter the aggressive mobile broadband providers like Econet, Powertel, and Africom while soon to join the bandwagon will be Telecel and at the same time minding their direct competitors.

An average internet user visited the café to check mail and maybe use the voice over internet protocol (VOIP) service Skype. That has changed now as one can simply use their mobile phones to check emails and those with laptops, the dongles can afford them the opportunity of using Skype and Googletalk on the go.

Facebook has become an addiction for some and it has become easy to access since the availability of mobile broadband folks are staying up late at night “sharing their thoughts” on matters to do with the heart, football and all kinds of “crazy” things.

Sources close to the goings on at Econet say the mobile giant has since seen an upsurge in mobile broadband usage among its clients with numbers being said to have reached 800 000 from 400 000 in December 2010.

The numbers have doubled inside a month and half mainly because of Econet’s substantial network coverage and sources predict these numbers to keep on soaring despite the fact that the mobile service provider is probably the most expensive provider of mobile broadband.

It has turned out to be important that internet cafes do speak about the “elephant in the room” they just cannot afford to look sideways and wish these service providers away.

Tafara Gwata, Chief Executive of World Trade Centre internet café agrees that it is time they pulled up their socks in order to stay relevant. He acknowledged the laissez faire attitude cafés had adopted since the advent of internet.

“We have not been doing our jobs properly but the time has come for us to value add our services. We have had it the easy way but that is now gone because of mobile broadband. People now need to get the value for their dollar and we, for starters, have already started to develop new initiatives to add value to our cafes,” said Mr Gwata.

He said traffic into World Trade Centre had dipped with a percentage range of between 20 to 25 percent. He noted that effective training of internet use by customers was one of their target initiatives that look to retain clients as well as bring back what they have lost.

“Mobile broadband has had a positive and negative impact on our business. Negative in that we have lost the casual internet user who just wants to check mail or facebook which can be easily done on one’s mobile phone now,

However, there are certain things you can’t do on your mobile phone like working on a spreadsheet or downloading huge files and they still need us,” said Mr Gwata.

He said Econet had proved to be very aggressive in terms of its marketing because of their deep pockets which some internet cafes do not have. He termed it a “brilliant complimentary service” as it has made people in general aware that there is such a thing as internet let alone broadband internet thus indirectly Econet advertised for internet cafes like World Trade Centre.

“I must point out that there are people out there lying that this mobile broadband being offered on the phone is faster than what we have in our cafes to which I would like to say that’s not true. We want a bigger user base and I believe we will keep what we have and add more.

Someone who looks to have realised the power wielded by mobile broadband is Khumz Khumalo of Khuyanet internet café.  He has already set up a café that aims at grabbing a niche market and keep it.

“Khuyanet officially opened its doors February 2011, so we are a brand new baby. We are yet to see if that will have any impact on us. We are targeting a niche that we believe will not be affected by the new development in mobile broadband,

The environment is very executive, and our speeds are consistently fast (the fastest in town) and exceptional client service delivery,” said Mr Khumalo.

The jury is still out and only time will tell if they get that niche market and at the same time retain it.

IT expert, Dereck Goto, contends that internet cafes face extinction unless they change their attitude towards surfers and the business. He believes they will close down in the near future.

“Things are changing and mobile broadband is only going to get better. I for one use Africom because they are they provide the fastest broadband and it only costs me $18 flat, for a month with a capped bandwidth of 1 gig,” said Mr Goto.

He said for the same amount of bandwidth with Econet one would have to fork out no less than $110 which described as exorbitant.

“The average user will not spend that 1 gig in a month but people like me who would want to download software or an update for a client may spend more,” said Mr Goto.

He added that cafes should target niche markets in order to survive and this includes heavy users of the internet who might be averse to cost of downloads on mobile broadband.

“Cafes should just offer faster speeds and the deal is done. Heavy users of the internet don’t worry about the cost of surfing when the speeds are exceptional. Cafes in South Africa have survived because of their speeds and that way they can challenge these service providers,” noted Mr Goto.

In the words of the late but great, Bob Marley, only time will tell.

E-Learning: Education at the fingertips

E-Learning has brought education right at the fingertips of many that can access the internet making it easier for students to carry out assignments and research without the hustle of going through piles of books and hoping from one library to the next.

E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process.

The term is utilised to reference out-of-classroom and in-classroom educational experiences through technology, even as advances continue in regard to devices and curriculum.

E-learning is essentially the computer and network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. E-learning applications and processes include web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom opportunities and digital collaboration.

Content is delivered via the Internet, intranet/extranet, audio or video tape, satellite TV, and CD-ROM. It can be self-paced or instructor-led and includes media in the form of text, image, animation, streaming video and audio.

Let’s face, e-learning represents the best form of acquiring an education for the working individual willing to progress further with their education. It represents a route to self fulfillment yet at the same time being able to put food on your family’s table.

A lot of Zimbabweans are taking this route through distance learning institutions like Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) and University of South Africa (UNISA).

One reader of Techno Talk noted, however, that e-learning might be the reason why a seemingly educated individual fails to carry out their job efficiently because they may have acquired a degree but not knowledge because of the tendency to copy and paste whatever they may have researched.

Last year, ZOU officially launched a new Learning Management System website, ZOU Online. The system uses the open source eLearning and eWorking platform, Claroline. This platform allows lecturers to build online courses and manage learning and collaborative activities on the web, unfortunately, Techno talk could not access the website this week.

Research shows that e-learning advantages and disadvantages are important to consider when making instructional and learning decisions. Many organisations and institutions provide different forms of training and instruction to their employees or learners. Typically they provide needed training by sending people to school, holding in-house training classes, or providing manuals and self-study guides.

In some situations it is advantageous for them to use e-learning or other forms of e-learning instead of the traditional training. Other times it is disadvantageous. As with anything else, there are benefits and limitations, as well as pros and cons. There are many advantages to online and computer-based learning when compared to traditional face-to-face courses and lectures. There are a few disadvantages as well.

One cannot discount the impact e-learning has especially in an improving economic environment like the one Zimbabwe is currently witnessing.  We are seeing the digging of trenches for optic fibre while some have already gave “the world a handshake” making communication faster and in the end it all bodes well for e-learners as they are likely to spend less time online yet complete a whole lot more work at a cheaper rate.

Most e-learning programs are scheduled in such way that they can be studied when needed. The “books” have a module-based design which allows the learner to learn more from the site and move along when they require.

It moves faster and even up to 50 percent faster than traditional courses. This is mainly because of individualized approach helps the learners to skip material they already know, understand, and henceforth move onto new courses.

The information delivered will also be consistent to all users, therefore possibility for misinterpretations can be easily eliminated.

However, e-learning makes it easier to procrastinate as there is no one to tell you to get to class on time. There is no one reminding you that assignments are due or that exams are coming. There is no one to preach to you, beg you, and plead with you to stay on top of your coursework.  It is easy to put off reading and assignments in the online environment. An internet-based course demands that you develop personal time-management skills.  As with most things, if you don't manage your time properly, you will find yourself buried beneath a seeming insurmountable mountain of coursework.

Online courses require the self-discipline to set aside chunks of time to complete your studies. This means that you have to make online coursework a priority and not let other activities interfere. Sometimes, it means making difficult choices.

At times you may feel like you are alone with only your computer. This makes some students quite uncomfortable. The online environment is a much different atmosphere that takes some getting used to. Your online instructor is sensitive to this problem and can help you overcome those feelings.

E-learning can be used for on the job training in instances where organisations seek to develop their employees further. It may be to do with employees acquainting themselves with a new method of doing things, however, some organisations find it hard to implement this route to training.

A report from Ashridge business schools found that while 86 percent of organisations interviewed believe e-learning is an effective training approach, 82 percent also said that it is difficult to introduce.

The main barriers to e-learning amongst the organisations interviewed were technology problems, lack of time for training, underestimation of resources required and resistance of staff to engage in e-learning as well as a negative image of e-learning, often created by suppliers.

Despite this, the research shows that in the right conditions, many organisations were using e-learning effectively.

In these organisations, cultural change tended to have taken place about how training and learning happens. Their e-learning initiatives tended to be closely aligned to the needs to the business and 'blended' with other types of training such as classroom activities and their learning needs drove the technology rather than the other way around.

In addition, successful e-learning programmes had ongoing support from a senior level and were marketed effectively throughout the organisation