A man uses a mobile phone to send a message next to a roadside stall in Soweto , South Africa , 24 April 2008 . More than half of the country ' s population of some 47 - million own a mobile phone , and some 100 - million people in sub - Saharan Africa . With internet banking not available to the majority of the population , mobile telephones are becoming an increasingly popular business tool , with mobile networks teaming up with banks to enable financial transactions . EPA / JON HRUSA TO ACCOMPANY DPA STORY BY CHRISTIAN SCHILLER < 저작권자 ⓒ 2007 연 합 뉴 스 . 무단 전재 - 재 배포 금지 . >